Missing Pieces
by anonymousgg
Summary: Roy Gilmore has a beautiful four-year old daughter who has never met her father. When Finn and Rory run into each other at the zoo, he quickly puts the pieces together and realizes that life has taken crazy turns that no one could have predicted. How will he fit into the lives of Rory and Emma? How will Emma's father react when he runs head first into this reality.
1. Chapter 1

**Roy Gilmore has a beautiful four-year old daughter who has never met her father. When Finn and Rory run into each other at the zoo, he quickly puts the pieces together and realizes that life has taken crazy turns that no one could have predicted. How will he fit into the lives of Rory and Emma? How will Emma's father react when he runs head first into the reality that is his ex-lover's and daughter's lives now? Will Rory finally get her happily ever after? This story takes place 5 years after AYITL. Rory's trust fund was never addressed in the revival, but for the sake of this story we're going to pretend that she still has it and had not spent through it.**

 **I do not own Gilmore Girls or the characters in this story.**

"Mommy, lions!" Rory heard from the stroller that she was pushing through the Hartford zoo. Inside the stroller was her four-year old daughter, Emma Leigh Gilmore, who was the light of her life. She was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, intelligent, precocious little girl who had changed every member of her mother's family for the better. She was the missing puzzle piece that brought peace to the Gilmore family finally set Rory's life back on a stable path, surprisingly enough. Her feet had gotten tired on their long walk and she had decided to take a turn riding in the stroller despite her insistence that she was a big girl.

"That's right, Em! What do the lions say?" Rory asked her daughter.

"Roar!" they both roared together as they giggled. Rory knelt down next to her daughter.

"You're such a smart cookie, Emma," Rory said as she tickled her daughter lightly. "Ready to see the tigers?"

"Tigers!" Emma enthused as her mom stood back up began to navigate to the next exhibit. They were just arriving at the tiger enclosure when Rory heard her name.

"Rory Gilmore? Is that you?"

The accent was unmistakable; it had to belong to no other than Finn Morgan. Rory thought for a moment trying to dodge him given how awkward the situation was bound to be, but if she knew Finn at all she would put money on him not giving up easily. She slowly turned her head to the direction that the voice had come from and met his blue eyes not fifteen feet away from her.

"Finn?" Rory finally managed to choke out. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you as well, kitten. This lovely little lady riding on my shoulders is my niece, Ava. Ava, can you say hi to my friend Rory?" Finn asked of the little girl.

"Hi, Uncle Finn's friend Rory!" Ava giggled.

"Hi, Ava. It's nice to meet you. Umm...this is Emma," Rory said pointing to her daughter. She had no idea whether or not Finn knew who Emma was.

"It's nice to meet you, Emma," Finn said as he extended his hand to her. "Are you Rory's sister?" Finn asked as he looked back and forth between Rory and Emma.

"No, silly! She's my mommy!" Emma giggled.

"Wow, I bet Rory's a great mommy, huh?" Finn asked. "So tell me, little love, how old are you? Ava here is five."

"I'm four!" Emma exclaimed.

"And what a beautiful four year old you are," Finn replied to Emma before shifting his eyes to Rory. "I didn't realize that you had a daughter, kitten."

"Oh, yeah, I guess I haven't seen you guys in a while, huh?"

"Since about five years ago at that inn in New Hampshire when…" Finn's voice suddenly trailed off and Rory could see from the look on his face that he was beginning to ask the right questions.

"Right, it's been five years," Rory answered uncomfortably. "Well, Emma and I should probably keep exploring the zoo, right Em?"

"Finn and Ava can come, Mommy!" Emma said excitedly. _Out of the mouths of babes_ , Rory though. She was trying to escape the situation and her sweet little daughter was spoiling her grand plan.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sure Finn and Ava have other things to do," Rory replied, hoping to end the awkward conversation quickly.

"Actually, doll, Ava and I were just enjoying our afternoon at the zoo. We would love to continue our adventure with you two lovely ladies if that's okay," Finn said hopefully.

"Sure, that would be great," Rory said as she resigned herself to whatever would come of Finn finding out that she had a daughter. She actually was excited to see him; Finn had always been a good friend and a lot of fun to be around. She just dreaded the potential revelations that could come with spending the afternoon with him now that he knew about Emma.

"Excellent!" Finn replied as Ava asked to be put down off of his shoulders and Emma asked to get out of the stroller. She and Ava quickly began chattering to each other as they looked at the tigers.

Finn and Rory followed the two giggling girls around from the tigers to the cheetahs to the leopards to the penguins and sea lions as the girls bounced and exclaimed over each animal. Despite her reluctance to be in this situation, Rory found that she was enjoying their foursome at the zoo very much. Finn doted on Ava, and by extension Emma as well, and it was so sweet to see. He was obviously an amazing uncle and had a very good relationship with his niece. It was endearing to see this side of him.

"Mommy, I'm hungry!" Emma said as she pulled on her mother's arm impatiently.

"Are you ready for lunch, sweetheart?" Rory asked as she snapped out of her thoughts.

"Yes, yes, yes! Lunch together?" Emma asked as she turned her big blue eyes toward Finn and stuck her bottom lip out just a little.

"Put that lip away, silly girl. Ava and I would love to get lunch with you," Finn chuckled as he absentmindedly ruffled Emma's hair. Emma squealed with delight and she and Ava each grabbed one of Finn's hands and pulled him along toward the zoo cafe. Rory stood there for a moment in shock as she watched the scene play out. Emma was normally pretty reserved around people she didn't know well, especially strangers, but she had taken a definite liking to Finn. Rory was struck by the irony in the situation. She quickly pulled out of her thinking and followed behind Finn and the two new little friends toward the cafe, getting in line behind them.

"I can't see, Uncle Finn! Pick me up!" Ava begged, wanting to see the food offerings for herself.

"Sure thing, Ava Bug," Finn replied as he bent down to pick her up. "Do you want to see too, Emma?"

"Yes!" Emma exclaimed and she giggled as Finn picked her up as well. Rory was momentarily stunned by the scene unfolding in front of her, and then angry all over again that Emma's father had chosen not to be part of her life. Most days she was okay with being the only parent in Emma's life, but moments like this where she caught a glimpse of what having a partner could look like were hard.

"You have a beautiful family," the woman behind her in line said as she pointed to Finn holding the two girls.

"Oh, it's not...uhh…" Rory stammered. "Umm...thank you, I mean. The blonde is mine, and the brunette is his niece."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I just assumed…" the woman trailed off.

"It's no problem," Rory replied as she stepped up to order food for herself and Emma. She was digging through her purse for her wallet when Finn stopped her and took his out, paying for all of their meals.

"You didn't have to do that, Finn!" Rory told him quickly.

"I wanted to, kitten. It's been ages; surely I can buy your lunch while we catch up, right?"

"Sure, thank you. Emma, tell Finn thank you for lunch," Rory said as she turned her attention to her daughter.

"Thank you, Finny!" Emma said excitedly. Finn just chuckled at the nickname and excitement as he set the girls both down so he could carry their food.

"Can we eat at the picnic tables next to the playground, Uncle Finn?" Ava asked as she bounced up and down in excitement. Finn looked at Rory quickly and saw her nod slightly.

"That's fine, Ava Bug," Finn answered as he led the group over to the outdoor picnic tables on the playground. The girls ate their food quickly and begged to play on the playground. Finn and Rory quickly told them to have fun and stay close and both watched as the two girls played near them.

"You know, I've often wondered how you were doing, kitten," Finn said breaking the silence.

"I'm doing well. Being a mom is hard, but it's so worth it. I'm actually teaching English at Chilton now, and I sponsor the newspaper. I'm finally content with my life."

"I'm glad to hear that, love. I probably shouldn't press, but the timing is right and she looks an awful lot like a certain blonde-haired guy you and I both know well…" Finn began and trailed off to see what Rory's response would be. Rory just looked down at the ground trying to decide what to say. It was obvious that Finn had put two and two together and had gotten the correct answer.

"Yeah, about that, Finn. You've obviously figured it out, but please don't say anything to anyone. My mom and Jess are the only people in our lives who knows who Emma's father is. She's never even met him."

"Does he know?" Finn asked quietly.

"He does," Rory stated, and Finn couldn't help but notice how sad she looked as she spoke.

"And?"

"And Logan chose to terminate his parental rights. He didn't want the scandal and mess that would come with having gotten his lover pregnant while engaged to Odette. He sends a check every month and bought a house for she and I to live in; other than that he's not in the picture."

"I don't even know what to say to that, Rory," Finn said solemnly. "You know that the rest of us would have been here for you, right? He's not the only one who cared about you; you weren't just in our lives because of him."

"I know that, Finn, and believe me when I say that I've thought about getting in touch more than once, but I didn't know how to handle all of the questions that would come from you guys getting to know her."

"Well, I know her now, and she's going to have an Uncle Finn in her life going forward," Finn said firmly as he looked Rory in the eye.

"That would be really great, Finn," Rory replied quietly. "You know, she doesn't usually take to men that quickly. Of course, she loves her Grandpa Luke and Uncle Jess, but she's normally very slow to warm up to other men. She really seems to like you."

"All the more reason for me to be around more often then, love. Ava and I were planning to spend the rest of the afternoon at the zoo and then have pizza before I take her back to my sister's. We would love for you and Emma to join us, unless there's someone waiting at home?" Finn trailed off, looking for information.

"Huh? Oh, no. There's no one waiting at home. Dating and having a four-year old don't really go hand-in-hand," Rory chuckled.

"Then it's settled," Finn said with a grin.

The unlikely foursome enjoyed everything that the zoo had to offer for the rest of the day before walking to their cars and making plans to meet at a nearby pizza place. They arrived at the same time and walked into the pizza place amidst lots of giggling from the girls and genuine laughing and fun conversation between the two adults. Rory and Finn ordered for the group and settled into the dinner conversation.

"So, love, what else is new with Rory Gilmore?"

"Well, let's see. I wrote a book and it was published two years ago. That was a crazy whirlwind, but I loved it. My second book will actually be coming out next summer. We just started a new school year at Chilton, which is always crazy. Em goes to pre-k there this year, which is nice. I like having her close to me. My mom and Luke got married about five years ago and have a three-year old son, Will. He's adorable! What about you, Finn?"

"My life hasn't been nearly as eventful, kitten," Finn chuckled. "I'm enjoying the family business and just relocated back to Hartford. I had been in New York for several years, but I wanted the opportunity to be closer to my siblings and nieces, so here I am. I still see Colin and Steph often; they're actually here in Hartford. They're married and expecting their second little one in a few months. They already have a 2-year old son named Nathan. Robert is still Robert."

"That's really great, Finn. Do you...how's Logan?" she asked quietly. "I hope he's good. Despite everything, I really do wish him all the best."

"Logan's Logan, Ror. He's fulfilling the dynastic plan. I actually don't see him too often; Odette keeps him on a pretty short leash. I wouldn't say he's happy, but he's not really focused on happiness. He's doing what's expected of him, and for now that seems to be enough for him."

"God, who would have ever thought things would be this way?" Rory sighed as she put her head in her hands and rolled her eyes.

"What way, love?"

"Me a single mom, him out there fulfilling the dynastic plan. This isn't what I pictured, Finn. I thought...I thought it was real, you know?" Rory finally replied.

"Hey, come here, doll," Finn said as he wrapped his arm around Rory and hugged her close. "None of us ever thought it would be this way, okay? We all thought he would do right by you."

"I know, and he tried when he proposed at graduation. I had my chance at that life."

"Do you regret saying no?" Finn asked.

"No, I really don't. I wouldn't trade my life now for anything, even if it is hard," Rory answered quickly.

"I'm glad to hear that. Have you moved on?"

"Yes and no," Rory replied with a laugh. "I'm over him and long since moved past what we had. Moving on is a different story. Like I said, dating and being a single mom don't really go together."

"There hasn't been anyone?" Finn asked, a bit shocked.

"No, quality men aren't exactly looking to date a woman in my situation, and I'm really just focused on my career and book and Emma," Rory says while blushing.

"Why are you blushing if that's the whole story, love?" Finn teases.

"How do we always have the most awkward conversations, Finn?" Rory asks with a laugh. "I have a friend who is really close to Emma and I, and he's been known to help take the edge off if he's not seeing anyone," Rory finishes awkwardly.

"That's funny, Ror," Finn says as he laughs. "I don't seem to remember the casual thing working out too well for you with Huntz."

"No, but this is very different. We really are just friends who have always had incredible chemistry. We dated back in high school for a little while, but there really aren't any romantic feelings at this point. He's been so good to Emma and I, though. He was in Philly until recently, but when his business expanded and opened a store here he moved up here to manage the store. He's an author as well, and he's my editor and publisher. He's really probably my best friend now. It's been great having him closer. He's the most involved man in Emma's life, and I'm grateful for how much he loves her and how involved he is. He's great with her."

"Sounds like a boyfriend," Finn teased again.

"Finn! It's nothing like that!" Rory replied quickly as she slapped his arm playfully.

"Nana Lorelai and Gramma Emily say that Mommy needs a boyfriend," Emma spouted off.

"Emma, I don't need a boyfriend!" Rory said exasperatedly as Finn laughed at the turn the conversation had taken.

"Hey, my mommy says that Uncle Finn needs a girlfriend!" Ava piped up and Finn's jaw dropped.

"Who's laughing now, Aussie?" Rory teased as she nudged Finn in the side.

"Thank God, the pizza!" Finn exclaimed as the waiter brought over the pizzas they had ordered. The group laughed and all dug into their dinner, hungry from the long day at the zoo. When they finished Finn insisted in picking up the check again, saying that he invited Rory and Emma so it was his treat. As they were getting ready to leave he swiped Rory's phone off the table.

"Finn, what are you doing?!" she exclaimed in mock exasperation.

"One...second...love...there!" he said as he pressed the save button and then hit call. His phone started ringing and he handed Rory's back to her and took his out. Now you have my number and I have yours. I meant what I said earlier, Ror. You can expect to see a lot more of me."

"I don't want you to feel like you have to, Finn," Rory began.

"And I don't feel like I have to. I want to. I enjoyed myself today. I told you before, you weren't only in our lives because of him, and I meant it."

"Okay, Finn. I had a great time too, and I would really love to do something like this again. Thank you."

Finn and Rory hugged each other goodbye and promised the girls that they could see each other again soon and both got in their cars to head to their respective homes.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: You guys' reviews totally make my day. I want to make it clear that I'm not anti-Logan; in fact, he was my first love for Rory. I hate telling the same story that everyone else is telling, though, so this is the story I'm going to work on. I will update several times a week, so you won't have to wait long to read more. I'm super excited about the direction that I have planned for this story.**

Rory Gilmore. Rory Gilmore, Ace, Mother, had a child, and Huntzberger had turned his back on both of them. It was unbelievable. Sure, they had all done their fair share of stupid things and had been irresponsible on many occasions, but this took the cake in Finn's humble opinion. He grumbled to himself as he walked through his front door, threw the keys on the side table, poured himself a scotch and sat down heavily on the couch. He was seething over this turn of events. Not only had Logan gotten Rory pregnant and decided not to be in Emma's life, he also hadn't told any of his best mates. At the least they could have been there for Rory and Emma. Finn slammed him now empty glass down heavily and switched on the television, anxious for a distraction. As he flipped absentmindedly through the channels, he heard his phone alert him to a text message, and he smiled broadly as he read the message.

 _Em hasn't stopped talking about you since we left dinner. You made quite an impression._

Well, she made quite an impression on me as well. You've done a great job with her, Ror. She's lucky to have you.

 _Thank you. Sometimes I feel like she's missing out without having a dad in the picture, but then I remember how close my mom and I are and I know it will be okay. Sorry, I bet you have better things to do than to listen to me ramble. :-)_

No need to apologize, love. I'm actually just sitting here watching television; you're a welcome distraction. What are you up to?

 _Em's crashed out and I'm propping my feet up with a glass of wine. Long day. Great day, but long day._

I'll let you get to bed, love. I know my nieces don't sleep in for anything so I'm sure you need to sleep while you can. How about I bring breakfast over for you ladies tomorrow morning?

 _You already bought us lunch and dinner today. You really don't need to bring us breakfast, too. I'm sure you have better things to do on a Sunday morning._

I know I don't need to; I want to.

 _I'll compromise, then. Show up at 9:00 and I'll cook breakfast for the three of us. Deal?_

Send me your address and I'll see you then.

 _Sounds great. Em will be so excited when she wakes up!_

Rory's address came through a minute later and Finn noted that it was only a few blocks from where he lives. He sighed and turned off the television and headed off to bed, intent on not thinking about how much he wanted to maul his best mate at the moment.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Mommy?" Emma questioned the next morning when she woke up and walked into the living room to see her mom already awake and cleaning house.

"Good morning, Em! How's my girl?" Rory asked happily.

"I always wake up first," Emma stated with a pout. "Why are you up?"

"Well, Em, do you remember Finn from yesterday? He offered to take us out for breakfast, but instead I told him to come over and that we could make breakfast."

"Yay!" Emma cheered. "Is Ava coming, too?"

"Not today, sweet girl. Now, you go get dressed and meet me in the kitchen and we'll mix up the pancakes together," Rory instructed her as she finished straightening the living room.

Ten minutes later Emma bounced into the kitchen dressed, hair brushed and ready for the day. Rory had really gotten so lucky with Emma; she was a very self-sufficient kid and far more mature than most four-year olds, much like Rory had been. Rory helped her wash her hands and sat her on the kitchen counter, allowing her to help measure pancake ingredients and stir the batter as the oven preheated for the bacon. She took out some sliced melon and strawberries and cracked eggs for scrambled eggs just as the doorbell rang.

"One minute!" Rory called out as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel and picked Emma up off the counter and set her on the floor. The two girls walked to the front door and opened it to greet Finn.

"Finn!" Emma squealed as she flew into his arms.

"Hey there, Emma!" Finn greeted her in return. "How are you this morning, little love?"

"I'm good, Finn! Mommy and I are making pancakes! Will you help us?"

"You really don't have to help, Finn," Rory quickly added.

"No, I'd love to help you two lovely ladies in the kitchen. Lead the way, Miss Emma," Finn answered quickly as Emma grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

"You have to wash your hands first!" Emma commanded him.

"But of course, love," Finn chuckled and he washed his hands and dried them. "Now, what can I do to help, Ror?"

"You want to take care of the pancakes and I'll start more coffee and eggs?" Rory asked.

"You've got it! Emma and I are on pancake duty," Finn answered quickly. He sat Emma on the counter next to the griddle, reminding her to keep her hands back from the hot surface, and let her help him scoop batter onto the griddle.

Rory watched them out of the corner of her eye as she started more coffee and finished cracking eggs. She wondered to herself where this Finn had come from. He obviously spent a lot of time with his nieces; he was amazing with kids. For the second time in as many days, Rory bit back the painful flash of emotion that came with being reminded of what was missing in Emma's life. For some reason it didn't bother quite so much when Jess was the one she saw Emma with. Maybe that was because he had always been there, or maybe it was because Jess was technically family. For whatever reason, seeing Finn with Emma made her acutely aware of what they were missing.

Rory shook herself from her thoughts and whisked the eggs and poured them into the hot pan to scramble them just as Finn took the first batch of pancakes off of the griddle and let Emma scoop a second batch on. Rory finished the eggs and put the plates and food on the table just as Finn and Emma finished up the last of the pancakes. They all moved to the table and sat down to enjoy their breakfast.

Emma was in a great mood this morning and she entertained the two adults with stories and songs as they all ate. Breakfast was filled with laughter and joy and just felt comfortable and right to Rory. They finished breakfast and Emma went to play in her room while Finn and Rory cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher. Just as they finished she came running back into the room.

"Mommy, can we play in the backyard today?" she asked excitedly.

"Sure, sweetheart. Give me a couple of minutes," Rory replied.

Emma ran back to her room to and Finn turned to Rory.

"Is it okay if I stay and talk with you while she plays?" Finn asked as Rory started the dishwasher.

"Of course, you're more than welcome to," Rory answered. Despite the intense awareness of what was missing in their lives when Finn was around, she loved having him there. She couldn't remember having as much fun and she'd had the previous day in a long time. She normally only had days like that with Jess, and he'd been busy with the new store lately and was seeing someone as well.

It was now 10:30 and Finn and Rory took Emma outside to play in the backyard. Luke had put up a wooden play set for Emma, and she could spend hours a day playing on it. Finn and Rory sat on the porch swing and watched her play as they talked.

"So, do you spend a lot of time with your nieces?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, I love those girls. I see them several times a week usually. I try to give their parents date nights every couple of weeks and stay really close to the girls."

"You know, I never really saw this side of you before," Rory replied quietly.

"What side is that, love?"

"This...domestic, settled, adult Finn," Rory chuckled.

"Well, it is fairly new. It's certainly new since New Hampshire."

"Right. That was a fun weekend. Life changing, but fun," Rory said wistfully.

"That it was, kitten. Listen, Colin and Steph invited me over for a barbeque next Saturday, and I mentioned having run into you yesterday. They would love for you to come. They really miss you."

"Did you mention Emma?" Rory asked.

"No, I didn't say anything. I wanted to talk to you first."

"I don't know, Finn. I miss them, but what am I supposed to say? It didn't take you much to figure out who Emma's dad is. I don't know how to walk that line."

"You can trust them, Ror. They're not going to say anything about it. I could let them know beforehand, if you'd like, and then you never even have to have that conversation with them."

"Okay," Rory finally answered.

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. I'll come. Is it okay to bring Emma?"

"Yes, their son will be home as well. He's a great kid."

"Alright. But I do want you to talk to them ahead of time, please. I just think it will be easier if they know in advance, and I really would prefer not to have that conversation."

"I'll take care of everything, love. There's one more thing that I need to tell you."

"What?"

"Logan and Odette are moving back to Hartford next month. I don't want you to run into him unexpectedly and not be prepared."

"Oh, wow. Okay. Thank you," Rory answered quietly.

"I'm happy to not mention hanging out with you to him if you'd prefer…" Finn trailed off.

"I'll leave that up to you, Finn. I don't want to put you in an awkward position or cause any trouble between the two of you. That's part of the reason that I'd never made contact with any of you guys. I trust your judgement, though."

"Finny, come play with me!" Emma exclaimed from across the yard.

"I'm on my way, Em," Finn chuckled as he stood up. "Pardon me, but the princess beckons," Finn told Rory with a laugh.

Rory laughed with him and watched as Finn ran across the yard and chased Emma, pushed her on the swings and slid down the slide with her. Suddenly her heart ached to have someone who loved her and Emma and would be that good to Emma in her life for the first time ever.


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday night found Rory grading papers and watching Emma play and Finn heading over to visit with Colin and Steph. He'd decided to go ahead and talk to them now about Emma and to ask their opinion on whether or not he should say anything to Logan about Rory suddenly being back in their lives.

"Finn, come on in," Steph greeted him warmly at the door.

"You look lovely as always, Steph," Finn returned with a kiss on her cheek. "And there's my little guy! How are you, Nathan?" Finn asked as Nathan flew across the room.

"Finn!" Nathan exclaimed as he pulled Finn into the floor and put dinosaurs in front of him to play with.

Finn began playing dinosaurs with Nathan as Colin brought drinks in for the adults.

"We're always happy to have you, man, but it seemed like you coming over tonight was pretty important. What's going on?" Colin asked when he sat Finn's drink down on the coffee table next to him.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you guys before Saturday. I had breakfast with Rory this morning…" Finn trailed off, trying to decide how to approach the conversation.

"Is there something going on there?" Steph asked suddenly.

"Not what you're thinking, but there is something going on with her," Finn replied awkwardly. "What I couldn't tell you guys yet when I mentioned running into her at the zoo was that she had her 4-year old daughter with her."

"Wow, I had no idea Gilmore had a daughter," Colin replied after a moment. "Is she married?"

"No, she's single, mate. This all ties into why none of us have heard from her for the last five years. She agreed to come Saturday, and she'll bring Emma, but she wanted me to talk to you guys first. It seems Emma was a product of that last goodbye in New Hampshire."

The room was eerily silent as they processed information. Finn watched the emotions that played across Steph and Colin's faces.

"You mean Huntz has a daughter with Rory and he never told us?" Colin finally asked.

"Yeah, he does. Rory agreeing to let you guys know about Emma's father makes five of us total, outside of Rory and Logan, who know who Emma's dad is. She doesn't really want to discuss it; that's why she's stayed away."

"How did you find out?" Steph asked.

"You'll see when you meet Emma," Finn chuckled. "Between the timeline and her blonde hair and features, it doesn't take a genius to realize who her father is."

"Why hasn't he said anything to us?" Colin asked angrily. "We're his best friends; surely fathering a child is on the list of things we should know."

"That's a question for Huntz, but my bet is that he knew that we wouldn't be happy with how he handled the situation," Finn answered.

"What do you mean?" Colin asked.

"He terminated his parental rights and has never met his daughter," Finn answered quietly.

"How in the world did he get himself here?" Colin wondered. "I always thought that he and Reporter Girl were going to make it. I don't understand how any father could not want to know their kid," Colin continued as he looked at his son and his wife's pregnant belly.

"I don't understand it either, mate. Rory said that he told her that it was too much of a mess and a scandal. He bought the two of them a house in Hartford and sends checks to support Emma, but otherwise has no involvement at all. Rory's been raising her on her own. It sounds like she has her mom and stepdad by her side and an ex-boyfriend-turned-friend. I told her that we all would have been there this entire time if we'd known."

"Wow. This is all a bit much to process," Steph whispered. "What else do you know about their lives now?"

"Well, they live in Hartford, actually only a few blocks from my house. Rory teaches English at Chilton Prep and sponsors their newspaper. She's a published author, which reminds me that I need to look up her book. She's focused solely on being a mom; it sounds like she could really use more people in her life who care about her and Em."

"Already have a nickname for the kid?" Colin teased lightly.

"That's what Rory calls her, and it rubbed off. She's a great kid. Adorable and smart, just like her mom. Apparently she's taken quite a liking to me. After the zoo and pizza for dinner yesterday, I offered to take the girls out to breakfast this morning. Ror invited me to her house instead. Em helped me cook the pancakes and then played outside while I got to visit with Rory. I played with Emma for about half an hour before I left. I think she already has me wrapped halfway around her finger," Finn chuckled.

"Sounds like it, man. So, what are you after?" Colin asked, cutting to the chase.

"What do you mean, mate?"

"It's obvious that you're getting involved in their lives. She has a kid, which automatically complicates things. I know better than most; my father had an endless string of new stepmoms for me. What do you want your role to be?"

"Wow, you don't pull any punches, do you, Colin?" Finn asked. "I just feel like they should have people around them who care about them. I explained to her more than once that Logan wasn't the only one who cared about her and that we all could have been there to support her. She just...she doesn't need to feel like she's alone, and if Huntz won't step up and do the right thing then we can all rally to make sure she has support and knows that she has people who care about her and Emma."

"We can definitely do that. Look, Finn, you know I love you like a brother, but just...either be there or don't, man. Emma is already missing a father figure in her life, which will likely affect her when she's older. The last thing she needs is more issues because someone else pops in and out of her life."

"Look at you, Mr. Responsible," Finn joked lightly. "I'm going to be there for them, period, simply because it's the right thing to do. I won't turn into another source of hurt for them."

"Good, I'm glad. You're a good man, Finn," Colin answered as both his and Finn's phones buzzed with an incoming text. Both quickly looked at their phones.

"Speak of the devil," Finn muttered under his breath. "It appears he's in town and wants to get together for drinks."

"What are you guys going to do now that you know about Emma?" Steph asked.

"Rory left that completely up to me. I offered to not say anything, but she doesn't want to cause any problems between us. She told me she trusts me to make the right decision, and I wanted to talk to you guys about it."

"Well, let's tell him that we'll see him in a couple of hours; that gives us plenty of time to decide how to handle the situation," Colin replied as he picked up his phone and replied to Logan.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Logan was sitting at a table in the pub sipping his scotch when Colin and Finn walked in together.

"Hey, guys. Glad you could get away tonight," Logan greeted them as he stood and gave them man hugs.

"Yeah, it's been a bit since we've seen you, mate. What has you on our lovely continent?" Finn asked.

"Odette and I were looking at houses. We actually put in an offer on a house in Hartford earlier today, and we just found out that they accepted it."

"That's great, man. Where is it?"

"It's actually only about half a mile from you and Steph, Colin," Logan answered. Finn let out a breath he didn't realize that he'd been holding when he heard the answer. He had a sudden moment of terror over wondering if Logan and Odette would be unintentionally living right next to Rory.

"Now tell me, what's new with you guys?" Logan asked the other two boys.

"Well, we're down to about two months left in Steph's pregnancy. We're both excited to meet our daughter," Colin replied.

"Good. What about you, Finn?" Logan asked.

"Not much to report from me, mate," Finn answered evasively.

"You're telling me that the infamous Finn Morgan hasn't met any new ladies recently?" Logan prodded. "You know we both have to live vicariously through you now."

Finn looked up with wide eyes and Colin kicked him under the table.

"Funny you should mention that, Logan. I'm actually not seeing anyone, but I did run into someone yesterday."

"Oh yeah? Who might that be? Perhaps one of your beloved red-heads?"

"No, nothing like that, mate. It was...well, it's actually Rory," Finn said, looking up so he could see Logan's reaction to that information. He saw Logan's eyes flash with hurt, confusion, sadness, and anger.

"Rory Gilmore, huh?" Logan asked casually.

"The one and only," Finn replied.

"I see. And how is Miss Gilmore?" Logan asked, trying still to look unaffected.

"Cut the crap, man," Colin said angrily. "Why should you care now how she is?"

Logan seemed stunned by his outburst.

"What are you talking about, Colin?" Logan asked defensively. His face showed that he knew exactly what they were talking about, though.

"Look, mate. I ran into Rory yesterday when I was at the zoo with Ava. She had her daughter with her," Finn filled in.

"I see," Logan said quietly, not making eye contact.

"Between my ability to do math and the fact that she looks just like a little Huntzberger, minus her mother's blue eyes, it wasn't hard to figure out." Finn finished.

"Why didn't you tell us, Logan? We could have all been there for her, even if you chose not to." Colin asked angrily.

"Look, it's not that simple, okay? My family would have lost everything because of the prenup that had already been signed with Odette's family. It was ironclad; I really had no choice in the matter. I had to marry Odette. I couldn't be what Rory needed."

"This isn't about Rory anymore, mate. This is about your daughter. She's a beautiful, smart, funny four-year old who will someday want to know who her father is. She deserves better."

"I take care of them, Finn," Logan snapped angrily. "I bought them a house, and I write the check every month even though I don't have to since I terminated my rights."

"You should know better than most that being a parent isn't about what money can buy," Finn seethed. "I can't look at you right now. I'm going home, and I'll talk to you again when I feel like I don't want to rip your bloody head off."

With those final words, Finn left the bar in a huff.

"Just give him some time, Logan. It appears he's already crazy about Emma. We're still your brothers; we're just surprised that you handled things the way that you did. I'm going to get back home to Steph, but you need to know that now that we know we will all be a part of their lives, and that's just something that you're going to have to be okay with," Colin said as he stood up and walked out of the pub.

"This wasn't what I had in mind when I wanted to catch up with my best friends," Logan uttered under his breath as he stood and left.


	4. Chapter 4

Rory sighed as she walked into Chilton on Thursday. It had been an excruciatingly long week, and she was exhausted. Emma seemed to be getting sick, although she wasn't running a fever or throwing up. She'd been feeling off, and subsequently she'd been more clingy than usual. It had worn Rory out, but as a single mom, she had no choice but to power through it. She'd spent the entire morning coaxing Emma into getting ready and out the door in time so that she wouldn't be late and hadn't gotten anything but a cup of coffee for herself. She walked into her classroom after dropping Emma off at before care and sat down heavily before she heard the intercom in her classroom buzz, looking forward to the hour of peace before her first class began.

"Ms. Gilmore?" came the voice from the office.

"Yes?"

"You have a visitor in the office, a Mr. Morgan. May I send him down?"

"Sure, that's not a problem," Rory answered quickly. Rory couldn't help but wonder what in the world Finn was doing at Chilton. He'd had the girls over to his house for dinner on Monday and insisted on taking them out to dinner on Wednesday, but she couldn't fathom a possible reason why he would be here at her work.

"Hey there, kitten," Finn greeted her as he walked in.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just knew that Em hadn't been feeling well and wanted to check on my two favorite girls. I brought you a couple of blueberry muffins and coffee," Finn offered as he held out the bag and a large coffee.

"How did you know?" Rory asked quietly as they both sat down at her desk.

"Know what, love?"

"Em was quite the handful to get out of the house and to school this morning. She feels lousy but isn't sick enough to have to stay home. I spent so much time getting her out the door that I only had one cup of coffee and I didn't get to eat anything, so you, my Aussie friend, are my hero," Rory answered.

"Well, happy to be of assistance. I'm working from home today, so I thought it would be nice to make sure you guys were okay. You look tired, Ror."

"I really am. Being a single mom is always a lot of work, but it's especially exhausting when you have a sick kid. I've barely slept the last two nights, and she's been so clingy. I feel like I'm about to crash and burn."

"You know, you shouldn't have to do this alone," Finn answered solemnly.

"I know I shouldn't, but apparently being a two-parent family isn't in the cards for me. Logan made his choice, and as much as it hurt at the time, I've accepted that he's not going to be a part of Emma's life. Like I said earlier, there aren't exactly dozens of men dying to get involved with a woman with a four-year old. Maybe someday I'll find a man who will love us both, but until then I'm it."

"You will, Rory," Finn answered quietly as he set his hand over hers and rubbed light circles on it soothingly.

"I will what?" Rory asked, confused by his statement and the calming effect that his touch had.

"You'll find a man who will love you both the way that you deserve to be loved," Finn clarified.

"I hope you're right," Rory answered quietly as they both sat just like that for a moment. They were both pulled out of their silence when Rory's phone rang. She bent to her purse and grabbed it, answering it without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"  
"Oh no. Poor baby. Yes, I'll have the office find a sub and I'll be right there to get here," she said into the phone as she hung up.

"Is everything okay?" Finn asked, and she could see that concern in his eyes.

"It's Emma. She's throwing up, so I have to try to find a sub and go pick her up and take her home. I'm never going to be able to find someone before first period starts," Rory answered exasperatedly.

"I'll take her for the day," Finn offered quickly.

"No, you need to work. I don't want you to have to take the day off."

"I already told you I'm working from home today, so that's not a problem. Do you trust me with Em?"

"Of course I do, Finn! You're amazing with her."

"Then let me do this for you, love. You need help, and I'm asking you to let me help you. I'm not doing it out of obligation or anything like that; I just want to help you. You want to someday find the man who will love you and Em like you deserve to be loved? Start by letting a friend in," he finished quietly.

Rory was taken aback by his statement. She'd spent so much time building hers and Emma's life together that somewhere along the way she'd gotten it in her head that it always had to be that way. If she was really truthful, she felt a little like that was all that that she deserved after the way that Logan reacted to the news of impending fatherhood. Finn was right, though. If she couldn't even let a friend, a friend who she'd known for over a decade and trusted, in their lives then she'd never stand a chance at letting a man in their lives when the time was right. She needed to learn to trust again, and it needed to start now.

"Okay, you can take Em for me today. Thank you so much for doing this, Finn. You're right about everything, and I appreciate you so much."

Finn was momentarily stunned that she agreed so quickly.

"Alright then. Is it okay if I take her to your house? I don't mind having her at mine, but I think she would be more comfortable in her own home."

"Sure, let's go get her and we'll move her car seat to your car and you guys can get out of here."

Finn and Rory walked down to the primary school side of the building and picked Emma up and walked out to the parking lot. Rory was just about to start the process of moving Emma's car seat when Finn stopped her, taking her keys out of her hand.

"Here, love," Finn said as he dropped the keys to his Porsche into Rory's hand. "You take my car and I'll drive yours. No need to move anything."

"But...it's your Porsche, Finn. You're going to drive my Ford Escape and let me drive your Porsche?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Indeed, kitten. Now, I have your house key here with your car key. We'll drop by my house and grab my laptop and we'll be at home. I have my cell phone. I'll make sure that she gets plenty of rest and fluids. You go shape young minds and we'll see you at home after work," Finn instructed her.

"Alright, I'll see you after work. Thank you so much, Finn," Rory replied as she walked over to him and hugged him. He dropped a kiss on her forehead before he moved to get in her car.

"Anytime, kitten. Now, go, be great!" Finn commanded. Rory kissed Emma and told her to feel better and watched Finn drive off with her baby. He was right; she needed a friend in her life to help her, and if he wanted to be that person then she was going to take a chance and let him in.

Rory was surprised and grateful that knowing that Emma was with Finn actually allowed her to go through her day without worrying about how Emma was feeling. It was totally unexpected, but she felt completely certain that her baby girl was well taken care of. She sent a quick text to check on Emma during her lunch and then another before the meeting for The Franklin to let Finn know what time she would be home. He'd replied and told her that dinner was taken care of and they'd be waiting for her, and she breathed a sigh of relief at not having to take care of everything by herself for a day.

Rory made a quick stop at the pharmacy on the way home to pick up more medicine for Emma and was just getting back in the Porsche when she saw a familiar tuft of blonde hair. She tried to duck into the car quickly to avoid being seen, but it was too late.

"Is that you, Ace?" Logan asked as he walked toward her. Damn. Too slow.

"Logan? Wow, yeah. I uh...I heard that you and your wife are moving back to Hartford," Rory answered awkwardly. She'd wondered for many years how she would feel if she ever saw him again, and much to her relief, she really only felt awkward. There were no residual feelings of longing or love on her part. Too much had happened to ever go back to that place. The only thing she found herself thinking was that she was eternally grateful that her daughter was at home with Finn right now, well taken care of.

"I didn't really take you for a Porsche girl," Logan mused.

"Umm...I'm not. It's actually a friend's. He took my daughter for me today because she's sick, and he suggested that we just switch vehicles for the day rather than moving car seats and stuff."

"Right, makes sense. So, how are you?"

"I'm good, Logan. Life is...settled and comfortable, and it's hard sometimes, but it's mine. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Now, I really need to get home to my sick kid," Rory answered dismissively.

"Sure, I get it. Wait...is this Finn's car?" Logan asked, a lightbulb having gone off in his head.

"Oh, um, yeah. It is."

"So Finn is watching our daughter today?" Logan asked incredulously. "I thought you two just ran into each other last weekend and are just friends?"

"No, Finn is watching MY daughter today, Logan. And yes, Finn and I just ran into each other last weekend, but Em adores him, and he offered to take her today so I could work, but really, none of that is any of your business, is it?" Rory had gotten really angry with his insinuation that her life was somehow his business. She quickly got in the car and shut her door after telling Logan goodbye and drove home.

She walked in the door and all of the tension and anger that she'd been harboring over her run-in with Logan instantly melted away when she took in her home. Finn had apparently emptied and loaded the dishwasher, and there was a folded load of towels on the dining room table next to Emma's sheets, which had also been washed and folded. Her heart melted when she looked on the couch, though. Finn was sitting on one side of the couch watching television. Emma was curled up in his lap sleeping with her little arms wrapped around his neck.

"Wow," Rory whispered in awe. "I didn't realize you were so domestic, Finn," Rory said by way of greeting as she slipped off her shoes and walked into the kitchen. She returned a minute later with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"It's nothing, kitten. She got sick several times, so the towels needed to be washed, and I figured that her sheets needed to be washed as well since she was sick."

"Still, thank you, Finn. This is amazing. I'll go make her bed really quickly and we can put her in bed."

"No need, I already put fresh sheets on it. I'll be right back," he replied as he stood up and walked to Emma's room. He emerged a couple of minutes later without Emma.

"Thank you so much, Finn. I just...I'm blown away. This is incredible."

"It's my pleasure, love. Now, dinner will be here in about ten minutes. I ordered Chinese."

"I'm sorry, could you stay forever? I mean, you did laundry, you loaded and dishwasher, and you took care of dinner. A girl could get used to this, Finn," Rory teased.

"Well, you deserve it, kitten," Finn replied as he picked up her feet and put them in his lap and began massaging them.

"Okay, now you're just trying to be perfect there, mister," Rory chuckled. "Not that I'm not loving every minute of having you around, but you sure have been spending a lot of time here lately. Is the female population of Hartford in mourning at your lack of dating?"

"Nah, they'll be fine. I'm right where I want to be. Frankly, if I wasn't here I would be on my own couch watching television alone. Now, I'm also planning to stay in your guest room tonight so you can actually get a good night's sleep even if Emma wakes up in the middle of the night. You're running on fumes, and you need rest."

"If you're sure we're not keeping you from anything," Rory answered quietly as she sipped her wine and enjoyed her foot massage.

"I'm not missing anything at all, Ror. Now, you just relax. Do you have papers to grade today?"

"Nope, I'm all caught up."

"Then you're relaxing tonight," Finn commanded as he answered the door. He quickly paid for the Chinese food and brought it to the table. They took out the containers, grabbed chopsticks and sat there talking about their days as they ate.

"Umm...Finn? There's something I need to tell you," Rory finally confessed guiltily.

"Oh bugger, this sounds serious, love. What's up?"

"I stopped by the pharmacy on the way home to get medicine for Em, and Logan saw me as I was getting in your car. I tried to duck him, but he saw me."

"Please tell me that he behaved himself," Finn answered quickly.

"Mostly. He figured out that it was your car and got a little worked up over you watching Em today and asked what was going on between you and me. I set him straight, but I thought you should know in case he mentioned it to you."

"I'm sorry that you had to see him, love. That explains the missed calls, voicemails and texts that I have from him."

"You haven't read them?" Rory asked.

"No, I haven't. He and I aren't exactly on good terms right now."

"Oh, I see," Rory answered quietly.

"I see that look on your face, Rory. You don't need to worry about mine and Logan's friendship. He caused this current rift, and we will fix it. Now, what did you tell him?"

"Huh? What did I tell him?" Rory asked.

"About you and I, love."

"Oh. I umm...I just told him that it was none of his business," Rory answered with a blush.

"You're right," Finn answered. "It's not any of his business."

"Right," Rory answered awkwardly.

"What if...what if there was something going on between us, Ror?" Finn asked as he looked intently at her. "I know we would need to take things slowly, but you obviously know that I adore Em already, and she feels comfortable with me, too." Rory just looked at him wide-eyed for a minute, collecting her thoughts.

"Would you want that, Finn?" Rory finally asked.

"I wouldn't have brought it up it I didn't," Finn replied quickly.

"Wow. I wouldn't want to keep you from living your life, Finn. It's a lot to get a girlfriend and a four-year old little girl in your life all at once."

"Rory, I spend so much of my time with Nathan and my nieces. I'm not the same Finn you knew in college. Sure, the guys and I go out and enjoy a few drinks every now and then, but that's as crazy as my life gets anymore. I won't beg, but I will promise you that I considered Em before I said anything to you, and Colin even threw his two cents in as well. I will be here for Em as long as you'll allow me to be, even if we decide that things won't work out between the two of us."

"That really does sound amazing, Finn, but I just...I don't understand why you would want to be with me. It's a little mind boggling, frankly."

"Look at me, Ror," Finn commanded firmly as he took her hand. "You need to know that you deserve happiness. You're an amazing woman, and any man would be lucky to be in yours and Em's lives. I think you don't think you deserve to have someone in your life. I think that the way that Logan handled things with Em made you feel like you aren't worth being in someone's life, but you are. Understand me?"

Rory wiped a few tears from her eyes. Somehow, Finn had gotten to the bottom of every one of her secret fears and insecurities after just a few days of being back in her life. He was once again right about everything, though.

"You're right, Finn. You're right about all of it, but I don't want that to be my truth anymore. I would really like to let you into mine and Em's lives. I mean, you're already part of our lives, of course, but I'd like to take a chance at having someone in my life for the first time since before Em."

"Really, love?" Finn asked with a broad smile.

"Really, Finn."


	5. Chapter 5

Rory awoke Friday morning feeling better than she had felt in days thanks to getting a full night's sleep. Finn had insisted on staying in the guest room so he could get up with Emma if she woke up in the middle of the night. She quickly made herself decent, since there was a man staying in her home, and entered her living room. She found Finn sitting on the couch with Emma laying on the couch with her head on a pillow in Finn's lap and Finn running his hands through her hair as they watched cartoons together. Apparently Finn had already figured out that having someone play with her hair was one of the best ways to calm Emma down, just like it was for Rory as well.

"Morning," Rory greeted them both when she entered the room.

"Morning, love. How did you sleep?" Finn asked with a smile when he saw her.

"I slept really well. I needed that. How long have you two been up?"

"Little Love got up about an hour ago, so not too long. I started coffee when I got up, so it's ready whenever you'd like some."

"You are amazing, Finn. Seriously, I know that I could have made it through the last 24 hours without you, but having you here for us made it so much less stressful for me. Want more coffee?"

"Please, kitten," Finn replied with a smile.

Rory took his coffee cup and went in the kitchen, filling both cups up and returning to the living room.

"I'm good here at home with Em again today, so you should get ready for work. She can't come back to school until she hasn't gotten sick in 24 hours, right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" Rory asked.

"Nieces," Finn smirked.

"Right. Are you sure? I really don't want to be any trouble for you. I'm sure you need to go to work."

"It's fine, love. I may have to go in for half an hour or so, but Em can come with me. It's really not a big deal at all. She hasn't gotten sick since yesterday afternoon, so I think she's on the mend. We can pack some books and her Leap Pad and she'll be fine with me."

"If you're sure you don't mind, that would be amazing," Rory replied as she stared off into space, lost in her thoughts. She marveled at this man sitting in her living room. He was taking care of her daughter, who also happened to be his best friend's daughter, willingly and without complaint, and he was doing an amazing job of it. If someone had told her when she'd been dating Logan that one day she would have his child and that, not Logan, but Finn, would be the one who seemed to be willing to be in that child's life, she would have laughed you out of the room. No one could have seen this coming.

"You're amazing, Finn. I'm going to go hop in the shower and get ready for work. Do you need anything before I do?"

"Nope, we're all set here, love. You take care of you and I'll take care of this little beauty."

Rory went through her morning routine and got ready for work before gathering her bag, a package of Pop-Tarts and a travel mug of coffee. She stopped in the living room before she left.

"I love you, Em," she told her daughter as she dropped a kiss on her forehead. "You be a good girl for Finn, okay? I'll see you after school, sweetie." Rory turned to Finn. "And you...thank you. Do you want me to move her car seat so you can have your car today?"

"No, take the Porsche, kitten. It's just easier for both of us. Maybe we can all three have dinner tonight and then you and I can watch a movie after Em goes to bed?"

"Yeah, that would be great. Thank you, Finn," Rory replied. She kissed him on the cheek and grabbed the keys to the Porsche before heading out the door to face her Friday.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Finn worked from home for most of the morning, alternating between tending to Emma's food and drink needs, working from his laptop, and reading books to Emma as she asked him to. It appeared that she had inherited her mother's love for the written word. She hadn't gotten sick since the previous afternoon and was acting much more like her normal, bubbly, four-year old self today. Shortly before lunchtime Finn had her pack a small bag of books and her Leap Pad with some games and get her shoes on so they could go grab lunch and go to his office for half an hour or so in order for him to take care of a few things. He loaded them up into Rory's SUV and drove to a nearby diner for lunch before driving to his office. He got Emma and her bag out of the car and knelt down next to her before they walked in.

"Alright, little love, I have to take care of a few things in my office, so we're going to go in and you're going to hang out with me while I work, okay? It won't take too long at all. Sound good?"

"Sounds good, Finny!" Emma exclaimed. Finn just chuckled again at this nickname that he had suddenly become quite fond of. "Will you carry me?"

"I sure will, Em," Finn replied as he picked her up and walked into their office building. They took the elevator up to the top floor and emerged in their executive offices. Finn was so enraptured by the conversation that Emma had begun with him that he didn't notice the odd looks coming from everyone who saw him with a child they hadn't seen before.

"Good afternoon, Caroline," Finn greeted his secretary. "I'm just in for half an hour or so to take care of a few things, so please hold my calls unless they're urgent. This is Emma, by the way. She's the daughter of...well, a close friend...and I'm watching her today."

"It's very nice to meet you, Emma," Caroline greeted as she held her hand out to the girl.

"It's very nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Caroline," Emma returned as she shook her hand.

"Oh, you are too adorable," Caroline gushed. "I'll hold your calls, Mr. Morgan. Just let me know if you need anything."

Finn walked in his office and situated Emma on the couch with her books and Leap Pad before walking over to his desk and sorting through the papers that required his immediate attention. There were several reports that he needed to review along with papers that required his signature. He was in the middle of tending to these items when his dad walked by his office and saw him.

"Finn, son, good to see you…" Finnegan trailed off as he saw the little girl playing on Finn's couch. He just raised a questioning eye at Finn in way of asking who she was.

"I'm just in for a bit, Dad. I'd like to introduce you to Emma; she is the daughter of a friend of mine. She was sick yesterday and I offered to watch her since I was working from home. Emma, this is my dad, Finngean," Finn introduced

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Finnegan," Emma greeted him in response.

"And it's a delight to meet you as well, Emma," Finnegan chuckled. "You have wonderful manners."

"My mommy teaches me all about good manners," Emma replied.

"Well, that's wonderful!" Finnegan was obviously amused by the girl.

"Well, I just wanted to say hello, son. Enjoy your weekend."

"Thanks, Dad. Give Mom my love. I'll come over for dinner next week," Finn replied.

Finn quickly finished up his work and was about to leave when he heard a voice he really didn't want to hear outside his office. He walked over to Emma and knelt in front of her again, making eye contact with her as he spoke.

"Em, listen to me, okay? I need to talk to someone for a minute. I'm going to be right outside my door but I'll just be a minute. You just stay in here and play, okay?"

"Okay, Finn," Emma replied quickly as she continued playing, unaware of just who was outside the door. If Finn had anything to do with it, she would remain completely unaware. Finn walked out his door and shut it behind him.

"Caroline, I'll talk with Mr. Huntzberger. Could you step in my office and tend to my guest for a moment?" Finn asked his secretary cryptically.

"Certainly, Mr. Morgan."

Finn waited until Caroline had disappeared into his office and shut the door behind her to turn Logan.

"What can I do for you, mate?" Finn asked.

"Well, you could start by answering your phone or returning text messages," Logan replied in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Sorry about that; I've been a bit busy. Did you need something? I figured that you and Odette would have returned to London before now."

"We fly back tomorrow, man, and then we'll be back to stay in a couple of weeks."

"Good to hear, mate," Finn replied awkwardly.

"Yeah, we're looking forward to it. So, I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when I ran into Rory Gilmore in your Porsche yesterday afternoon."

"Yeah, she mentioned that to me."

"Good, good," Logan replied awkwardly, fishing for more.

"Listen, mate, I'm going to be honest here. I'm still more than a little miffed over how you've handled this whole situation, and I really don't want to discuss it with you right here or right now, alright?"

"Sure, I get that, Finn. Just...know that while I may not have handled things the way that I should have, I thought at the time that I was doing the right thing, okay?"

"I'm sure you did, Logan. Now, I need to get back in my office and take care of a few things, but we'll catch up another time," Finn replied, effectively ending the conversation.

Finn watched Logan walk in the elevator and the elevator close before walking back into his office. He helped Emma gather her things and read her a book to stall for a few minutes in order to allow Logan time to leave before they did.

"Alright, Em, are you ready to get out of here?" Finn asked after they finished the book and put it in her bag.

"Let's go, Finny!" Emma exclaimed excitedly. "Carry me again?"

"Of course, little love," Finn chuckled. Finn picked Emma up and carried her to the elevator and then out of the building before walking to Rory's SUV. He tickled her and laughed as she tried to tickle him before putting her in her car seat and driving back to Rory's house. Both were so engrossed in their little tickle fight that neither one of them saw the blond-haired man watching them from his rental car across the parking lot.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Reading you guys' reviews and comments totally makes my week! Thank you so much for reading what I write and giving me feedback. I'd love to hear any ideas you all have for this story or any suggestions for future stories as well. You guys rock!

Rory was just walking out of Chilton, relieved for the week to be over, when she saw her mom walking across the parking lot toward her.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Rory greeted her excitedly when she saw her.

"I'm coming to steal my granddaughter for the weekend. I figured that you could use some rest. Where is she?"

"Oh, she got sick yesterday at school so she had to stay home today as well, but she's actually feeling better."

"Why didn't you tell me, sweets? I would have taken off and kept her for you. Where is she?"

"Umm...about that, Mom…" Rory started awkwardly.

"Is she okay?" Lorelai asked, obviously worried.

"Of course, she's great. It's just...maybe we could walk to the cafe across the street and grab a coffee and talk? Everything is great, I promise."

"You're really worrying me, kiddo, but let's get that coffee."

"Great. Let me just drop my bag in the car and we can be on our way," Rory replied without even thinking about the fact that she was driving Finn's car. She walked over to the Porsche absentmindedly and dropped her bag in the seat before locking it and walking back to her mom.

"Rory, honey, is there something that you need to tell Mommy?" Lorelai asked as she looked back and forth between the Porsche and her daughter.

"Actually, there is, but first coffee."

The pair walked across the street, ordered coffee and sat down in a booth before Rory began the conversation.

"So, last weekend I ran into an old friend from Yale when I was at the zoo with Emma. He was there with his niece, and we ended up spending the day together at the zoo and then getting pizza with both girls. Then he invited us out for breakfast the next morning, but I ended up having him over and cooking for him. He cooked dinner for us on Monday and took Em and I out on Wednesday. He came to bring me breakfast and check on me Thursday morning and was here when I got the call about Em being sick, and he offered to take her for the day because he was working from home. He stayed with us in the guest room last night because he wanted me to be able to get a good night's sleep, and then he kept Em today as well."

"Wow, that sounds like one heck of a man. Who is it? Marty?"

"No, not Marty. That's the weird part. It's actually Finn," Rory replied quietly.

"Finn as in Emma's father's best friend?" Lorelai asked shocked.

"That's the one. He's a much more mature Finn than he was at Yale. He told me on the day that we ran into each other that he would have been there for us, all of the old gang would have, actually, if they had known. But umm...well, I think we're kind of seeing each other."

"Whoa, that is big news, kid. You haven't dated anyone since Logan, and while I definitely think you should move on, I'm a little surprised. Why Finn?"

"He's amazing, Mom. You should see him with Emma. He obviously adores her, and she is smitten with him, too. He's so good to both of us. He's promised me that even if we don't work out, he'll still be in our lives. He's so kind and thoughtful. It just...it feels like I'm starting to figure out that there's been this missing piece for the last five years, and maybe he'll be that piece permanently, or maybe he won't, but I want to try."

"It sounds like you've found the perfect man to try with, sweets," Lorelai said with watery eyes. "Now, what in the world does that have to do with a Porsche?"

"Oh yeah! When he was leaving with Em yesterday he told me to just take his car and he took mine to make things easier."

"Good with kids and shares his Porsche? This one's a keeper, Ror," Lorelai teased. "Anything else new with you guys?"

"Umm, actually, I ran into Logan yesterday. I guess he and his wife are moving back to Hartford."

"They're what?! How did that go?" Lorelai asked.

"Okay, I guess. It was weird. I was, of course, in Finn's car, so he got a little wound up and asked what HIS daughter was doing with Finn. I quickly corrected him and told her that she is MY daughter and that our lives aren't any of his business."

"Whoa, that's intense," Lorelai mused. "How about we go to your place, you can introduce me to Finn, and I take Em for the night? You guys could actually go on a date or something."

"Are you sure you don't mind, Mom?"

"Not at all, sweets. Let's get going!"

Lorelai and Rory walked back across the street and drove their cars over to Rory's house. They parked and walked in the house quietly to find Finn playing Candyland with Emma at the coffee table.

"Mommy!" Emma squealed with delight as she saw Rory enter the room. "And Nana!" she added when she saw Lorelai. Emma flew across the room and into Lorelai's waiting arms.

"I've missed you, Nana!"

"I've missed you too, kiddo. Are you feeling better?"

"Yep, all better." Emma replied happily as Finn got up from the floor and walked across the room to the three generations of Gilmore girls.

"She was great today, love," Finn told Rory. "She hasn't been sick at all and seems to be back to her energetic self."

"I'm all better, Mommy! Finn and I had so much fun today. He read to me and played games with me and took me out to lunch. I got to help him at work, too, Mommy! It was so much fun!" Emma gushed.

"Wow, it sounds like it, sweets. How would you like to spend tonight with Nana?"

"Really?" Emma asked excitedly.

"Really, sweet girl," Lorelai chuckled. "Now, let's go pack your bag and we'll go see Grandpa Luke at the diner for dinner." Emma pulled Lorelai down the hall to her bedroom to pack her bag, leaving Finn and Rory alone in the living room.

"Mom showed when I was leaving school asking if she could take Em tonight, so it looks like you're stuck with just me, mister," Rory teased.

"Well, I did have my heart set on spending the evening with little love, but I guess you'll have to suffice," Finn chuckled. "Can I take you out on a date tonight, kitten?"

"I'd really love that, Finn. Let's get Em out the door with my mom and I'll get changed. Just let me know how I should dress."

"Sounds perfect, love! Let's go check on our girl," Finn finished as he walked down the hall toward Emma's room. Rory just stared after him for a moment. Just yesterday Logan had mentioned his daughter and it had infuriated Rory. Finn wasn't trying to be dad, and that was good, but hearing him call Emma "our girl" melted her heart. She pulled herself from her thoughts and followed Finn down the hall to find her mom and daughter zipping up Emma's bag.

"What time should I have her back tomorrow, sweets?" Lorelai asked.

"We're going over to Colin and Steph's tomorrow around 4:00, so anytime before that would be great," Rory answered.

"We could drive to Stars Hollow and pick her up if you'd like, kitten. I don't mind at all; I'm sure you'd love to see Luke, too. We could drive down for lunch maybe?" Finn asked.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Rory asked Finn.

"Not at all, Ror," Finn replied with a sincere smile.

"Well then, we'll see you two at Luke's for lunch. Just let me know when you'll be there and we'll meet you there," Lorelai replied. She couldn't help but be happy that this man obviously knew how important family was to Rory.

"Come tell me goodbye, Em," Rory instructed her daughter. Emma hugged Rory and kissed her all over her face.

"I'll miss you, Mommy! I love you!" Emma giggled as she kissed her mom.

"I'll miss you too, baby girl. Have fun with Nana, and Finn and I will see you tomorrow at Grandpa Luke's for lunch, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy!" Emma replied happily as she jumped down from her mom's arms. "And I'm going to miss you too, Finn!" Emma continued as she reached up to Finn. Finn bent and picked her up.

"I'm going to miss you too, little love, but I'll see you tomorrow. We'll spend most of the day together after we come to lunch, okay?"

"Really? I love spending time with you! Will you carry me to the car like you did today at your office?" Emma asked excitedly.

"And I love spending time with you too, Em. Now, let's go!" Finn replied as he kissed the top of her head and started walking to the front door, tickling her as she tried to tickle him. Rory and Lorelai followed behind them taking in the scene. Finn was laughing with Emma as he opened the door to Lorelai's Jeep and began buckling her in her car seat.

"Wow, kiddo," Lorelai whispered to her daughter. "If I wasn't sure about you letting him into yours and Emma's lives before I definitely would be now. You're right; he's amazing with her and completely adores her."

"It's pretty incredible. I keep thinking I need to pinch myself, Mom."

"Well, you two have fun. Don't do anything that I wouldn't do," Lorelai teased and she walked the rest of the way to the car and got in. Finn and Rory watched Lorelai pull out of the driveway and down the street before walking back inside, alone together for the first time.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: For those of you who are Logan fans, I want you to know that by the end of this story he will find redemption. No, he won't end up with Rory, but I won't leave you hating him either. He'll redeem himself eventually, but there's sure to be drama in the meantime.

Finn had gone home to change for his date with Rory and couldn't help but be a bit nervous. Sure, he'd spent a ton of time with Rory and Emma over the last week, but never with just Rory. He had certainly had more than his fair share of dates, although he had admittedly slowed down significantly over the last few years, but never had he wanted so desperately for a date to go well, and for once it had nothing to do with wanting something to happen at the end of the date. Well, that's not exactly true. He wanted desperately to kiss her, but that was the most he intended to happen. There's no way he was going to screw this up by moving too quickly. Slow and steady was the way to go here, because the end goal wasn't a hook up.

He shook himself out of his thoughts and finished getting ready, running a nervous hand through his hair as he looked at the clock. He still had an hour until Rory would be ready. He sat down and turned on the TV, absentmindedly flipping through the channels as his mind was a million miles off.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rory had just dried her hair and gotten dressed when her doorbell rang. She looked at the clock in a panic and had a fleeting thought that Finn was way too early for their date, but went to answer the door anyway. She walked to the door and opened it, speaking before she even saw who was on the other side.

"You're not supposed to pick me up for another half hour," she scolded as she opened the door.

"And here I didn't even know I was supposed to be picking you up," Jess retorted as he walked in the door.

"Sorry, I didn't realize it was you," Rory quickly apologized as she walked back toward her bedroom to continue getting ready, Jess hot on her heels.

"Where's Em?" Jess asked. "I've missed her this week, but it's been crazy with the new store. I feel awful that I haven't spent any time with you guys."

"Oh, she's with my mom. She showed up when I was leaving school today and wanted to take her for the weekend," Rory replied as she put on her makeup. "How's your week been?"

"It's been hell, but it's better now. I was hoping to take my two favorite girls out to dinner, but I'm guessing you're busy?" Jess asked.

"Yeah, sorry about that. So, how's Eve?" Rory asked, inquiring about Jess's girlfriend.

"I wouldn't know. She and I actually broke up," Jess answered quietly.

"Oh, Jess! I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Like I said, crazy week. I was going to tell you tonight. Since Em's not home maybe I could come back when you get back from wherever it is that you're going and spend the night?" Jess asked suggestively.

"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea," Rory answered quietly, not making eye contact with her best friend who sometimes warmed her bed.

"Maybe not, but we've done it for the last five years."

"Yes, when we were both single…" Rory trailed off.

"And I just told you I'm single, Ror. What's going on?"

"I'm...I'm seeing someone, actually. He'll be here to pick me up for a date shortly."

"Whoa. I go radio silent for a week and Gilmore goes and gets a boyfriend?" Jess asked in shock.

"Yeah well, a lot has happened this week."

"I should say so. I didn't even know you were ready to start dating."

"I didn't either, but I ran into an old friend last weekend. He was at the zoo with his niece, and the four of us spent the day together. He had dinner with Emma and I several nights this week and watched her for me the last two days because she was home from school sick, and I just...he and Em adore each other, and he's a great guy, and he asked me out, and I really want to see where this goes."

"You can't just have guys traipsing in and out of Emma's life, Rory."

"I know that, Jess, and he's going be in her life no matter what happens between the two of us. He should have been in Emma's life all along. He's a friend from when Logan and I were together."

"I just...I don't want to see you hurt, Ror, and having Logan's friends in your life can't be good."

"They're with me in this, okay? None of them knew about Em, and they were furious with Logan when they found out. They all want to be there to support me, and God knows that I can always use more people in my life who care about us. Please, Jess, can't you be happy for me? This doesn't change anything between you and me, other than the occasional sharing of a bed. You're still mine and Emma's rock; you always will be."

"Yeah, I can be happy for you," Jess finally consented. "Just...don't go replacing me, okay? You know that I love you and Em, and I don't want to lose you guys."

"You won't, Jess, I promise. We both love you too much for that to happen," Rory replied as she hugged him. The doorbell rang as they broke the embrace. "Could you get that, please? That should be Finn; tell him I'll be out in a couple of minutes."

"Yeah, sure," Jess grumbled. He sighed as he walked through the house back to the front door. He'd been waiting silently for five years because the woman he loved wasn't even ready to consider opening herself up to a man, and somehow within the course of a week she had not only decided to let someone in her life, but it wasn't him. Sure, he had dated during those years, but they none of them were ever a serious contender for his heart. Still, he had to try to play nice with the guy; perhaps he would get to pick up the pieces if it didn't work out for them. He pulled the door open and observed the tall brunette standing outside the door with roses.

"Hey, you must be Finn. Rory will be right out," Jess greeted him. "I'm Jess, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you, Jess. Rory has told me so much about her; I'm so glad that she has someone like you in her life."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Jess asked offhandedly.

"It's just supposed to mean that I know that you love Rory and Emma very much and that you're good to them," Finn answered, confused by the sudden flash of emotion he saw from Jess.

"Right, sure," Jess replied as Rory walked out of her bedroom and down the hall toward the two men.

"Hey, love. You look stunning as always," Finn greeted Rory with a kiss on the cheek as she joined him and Jess in the hallway.

"Thank you, Finn. You look quite dapper yourself," Rory replied with a blush.

Jess had to force himself not to roll his eyes. "I'm just going to get out of here, Ror. I'll catch up with you and Em this week sometime, hopefully," Jess said without even looking at Rory, and he let himself out of the house.

"He's acting weird tonight," Rory wondered to herself out loud.

"Weird how, kitten?"

"Just...distant and like something's bothering him."

"Do you need to go talk to him?" Finn offered.

"No, no one makes Jess Mariano talk when he doesn't want to. He'll figure it out and let me know if he needs to talk."

"Alright, if you're sure. Shall we, milady?" Finn asked as he offered Rory his arm.

"We shall!" Rory replied happily. She linked her arm through Finn's and grabbed her purse and keys on the way out the door, excited for her first date in many years. Finn helped her into the passenger seat of his car and drove them toward downtown Hartford. Conversation flowed easily during the drive. Before she knew it, they pulled up to Carbone's, a beautiful Italian restaurant that Rory happened to love.

"Carbone's?!" she exclaimed as Finn helped her out of the car.

"Is that okay, kitten?" Finn chuckled.

"It's better than okay, Finn! This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants."

Finn escorted her into the restaurant where the maitre d seated them promptly in a quiet corner booth. Finn ordered a bottle of red wine after consulting with Rory and they both looked over the menu.

"What sounds good tonight, love?" Finn asked as he looked over the menu.

"I'm honestly not sure. Everything looks amazing," Rory replied.

"Mind if I order a few things for us to share?" Finn asked.

"Go for it."

Finn ordered the tomato, mozzarella & prosciutto di parma bruschetta and the arancini for appetizers and the tenderloin steak San Dominico and the fettuccini carbonara for them to share and the two quickly descended once more into conversation. They each told the other more about their families, lives and jobs as they waited for their appetizers. When they were delivered, the conversation slowed comfortably to allow them to enjoy their food.

"Oh my goodness, this is absolutely amazing," Rory told Finn as she ate the bruschetta.

"I'm so glad you like it, kitten. Here, try this," Finn told her as he held out his fork with a bite of the arancini.

"Oh wow, I'm not sure which one is better. You can order for me anytime," Rory gushed.

"I'll remember that," Finn chuckled. They continued to chat intermittently as they enjoyed the rest of their appetizers. Rory couldn't help but marvel over how easy and comfortable the whole thing felt. She had expected some awkwardness, but there was none. Their entrees were delivered as they finished their appetizers, and Rory was once again floored by how delicious everything was. They finished their food amidst more conversation, and Finn ordered two pieces of tiramisu and two large cups of coffee to go before insisting that Rory let him pay the bill.

Finn led Rory back out to his car and drove the short distance to the Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, which was beautifully lit up, illuminating the night sky with a romantic glow. They strolled hand-in-hand to the amphitheater where they sat and listened to a local jazz band as they enjoyed their tiramisu and coffee. As they finished their dessert and continued chatting intermittently while enjoying the beautiful music, Rory found herself slowly cuddling into Finn's side and sighed in contentment. There was a large part of her mind that truly believed she would never have another moment like this, not when she was a single mom and had felt so rejected by how Logan reacted to the news of the pregnancy, but here she was in a magical moment with an amazing man.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Finn's voice in her ear.

"Dance with me, Ror?"

"Of course," she answered as they both stood up and Finn led her over to the grassy area. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she melted in his embrace, placing her hands against his chest and enjoying the feel of being close to him. They swayed wordlessly, each lost in their own reflections over how perfect the evening was and hoping that it wouldn't end anytime soon.

Finn looked down at the beautiful woman in his arms and almost had to pinch himself to ensure that it wasn't a dream. Not many people knew that he had liked Rory way back in college, and he was certain that nothing would ever come of it after she and Logan had started dating. Now, well over a decade later, he was holding her in his arms. She wasn't the same woman that she was in college; she was even more amazing. He kissed the top of her head as he breathed in her scent and smiled at his luck.

One song turned into two, which quickly turned into more, and before they knew it the band was playing their final song of the night. They reluctantly broke from their embrace and Finn wrapped an arm around Rory's shoulders as they walked back to the car. They rode home mostly in a comfortable silence that was peppered with stolen glances and holding hands, both completely content to just be near each other. Finn pulled up in Rory's driveway and walked to Rory's door, opening it for her and helping her out of the car. He walked her to her front door and watched her unlock it.

"I had a really great time tonight, Finn," Rory told him as she turned back to him.

"As did I, love. This was the best date I've been on in quite sometime."

"I'm really glad," Rory said with a blush.

"I have a quick errand that I need to run in the morning before we leave for Stars Hollow, but I would love for you to come with me. I just need to run to the store to grab something; I could pick you up first and we could grab breakfast?"

"If you're sure that you don't mind me tagging along then sure," Rory agreed.

"Not at all. Having you there would actually be helpful," Finn replied. "I'll pick you up at 9:00 if that works then?"

"Sounds great," Rory responded. He couldn't help but warm at how adorably cute she was when she was nervous. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him.

"Any particular reason that you feel so nervous, love?"

"Umm...it's just...well, if you wanted to kiss me goodnight that would be fine with me," Rory answered quietly. Finn pulled back just far enough to be able to look her in the eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she answered with a nod. Finn moved his right hand to her cheek, stroking it lightly as his lips slowly descended to hers. He brushed them softly, relishing their soft warmth, and before he knew it she was pulling him closer. They both pulled apart breathless a minute later, smiling broadly.

"Wow," she whispered, her eyes still closed.

"Wow indeed, kitten. Now, you get a good night's sleep and I'll kiss you hello when I pick you up in the morning, sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," she replied quietly. "I'll see you in the morning, Finn."


	8. Chapter 8

Rory was still smiling when she woke up the next morning. She had floated into her house after walking in the door and drifted off to sleep happy. Her first date in what seemed like a lifetime had been absolutely perfect. She couldn't wipe the grin off her face as she got out of bed, made coffee and got ready for Finn to pick her up for what promised to be a rather full day together. She was anxious to see him and then for them to get to Stars Hollow so she could see Emma. It wasn't often that she was away from Em overnight, and she missed her.

Rory answered the door, ready to go, as soon as Finn rang the doorbell. He looked handsome in dark wash jeans and a dark blue v-neck shirt that looked incredibly nice on him. Rory laughed as she looked down at her outfit - dark wash capris, silver sandals, and a navy blue v-neck t-shirt.

"Is it a bad sign that we've been on one date and are already dressed alike?" Finn teased as he stepped forward and kissed her gently.

"Nah, must just be that we both know it will bring out our blue eyes," Rory shot back with a smirk.

"That it does, kitten. I must say, you look gorgeous as always. I have coffee in the Navigator, and we'll also get some at breakfast. Are you ready?"

"Yep, let's head out," Rory replied with a blush as she grabbed her purse and followed Finn to the car. They ate breakfast at a nearby cafe, and much to Rory's relief the conversation was still easy. There was no awkwardness after their first date; she felt just as at ease this morning as she had last night. Finn helped her back in the car after breakfast and they drove to a nearby shopping center for what appeared to be their second stop of the day.

"What are we shopping for?" Rory asked as she took in the shopping center around her.

"Ah, you'll see soon enough, Miss Gilmore," Finn tutted as he took her hand and led her into a baby superstore.

"Finn, is there something you want to tell me?" Rory teased as they walked in together. She couldn't for the life of her fathom why they were in a baby store.

"You could say that, love," he answered cryptically. He continued through the store stopping in front of the car seats. "I've made it clear that I'm going to be in Em's life permanently, and part of that means taking her places, so you, my dear, are going to tell me which of these lovely seats will keep Little Love safe while in my vehicle."

"You know you don't have to do this, right?" Rory asked after the momentary surprise of Finn thinking of such a sweet way to show Rory that he was serious about being part of Emma's life.

"I'm doing this because I want to, Ror. It just makes sense for me to be able to take her places without stealing your car, although you're still more than welcome to my vehicles," Finn chuckled.

"You caught me - I'm just with you for the Porsche."

"And here I thought we had something special," Finn retorted as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his chest for a moment.

"You are too sweet," Rory replied as she kissed him chastely. "And any of these will work just fine," she finished as she pointed to the 3-in-1 seats that went from car seat to booster seat.

"That hardly tells me which one to buy," Finn stated in mock exasperation. "Are you going to make me call one of my sisters to get the low-down on which is safest?"

"Fine," Rory consented with an eye roll. "I want to go on record, though, as saying once again that any of them will work, but the safest are the Britax brand seats."

"Was that really so difficult, love?" Finn chastised her. "Now, do you know how to install this seat in my vehicle or should I pay someone to do it?"

"I'm more than capable. And thank you, really. I know that I have trouble letting others take care of Emma and me, but this really is incredibly sweet of you," Rory replied quietly, her demeanor softening.

"I'm happy to get to take care you two lovely ladies," Finn replied as he put the car seat box in a shopping cart and walked toward the checkout with Rory. Twenty minutes later, the new car seat was safely installed in the second row of Finn's Navigator and they were back on their way to Stars Hollow for lunch. Rory was quite pleasantly surprised when she opened Finn's CD case and perused his SIRIUS presets to see that their taste in music was quite similar. They spent much of the 45 minute ride discussing their favorite bands and songs.

They arrived at the Crap Shack, as Rory and her mom had so lovingly nicknamed their home, around 11:00 and saw Lorelai and Emma playing in the front yard as they pulled up. All three Gilmore girls flew toward each other, meeting in the center of the yard as they embraced and talked animatedly. Finn chuckled to himself as he watched the spectacle. It was really quite endearing. Suddenly there was a little blonde flying through the yard headed straight for him.

"Finn!" Emma squealed with delight as she collided happily with him. He opened his arms just in time to catch her.

"How's my Little Love?" Finn asked her while she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm good! Nana and I had such a great time, Finn. We went to Grandpa Luke's and watched movies and ate candy and she let me have some coffee, and then we played outside. I had the bestest time!"

"I'm so glad, Em," Finn chuckled as Emma jumped down from his arms and pulled him over to the two Lorelais. Just as Finn and Emma arrived back at the two women he heard Lorelai posing a question to Rory.

"So, how was the date?" Lorelai asked her with raised eyebrows. Finn cleared his throat.

"Em, I think that's our cue. What do you say to you and I going to the park for a bit while your mum and grandmum chat?"

"Really, Finny?!" Emma ask excitedly.

"Really, kiddo. Here, hop on and I'll give you a piggy back ride," Finn instructed as he knelt down for her to get on his back. "Just let me know when you two are on your way to the diner and we'll meet you there," Finn told Rory and Lorelai as he kissed Rory on the temple and then began walking toward the park with Emma.

"He's good with her, kiddo," Lorelai said after he'd walked away.

"I know, Mom. He took me with him to run an errand this morning, and you'll never guess what it was."

"Don't keep Mommy in suspense!" Lorelai chastised.

"He bought a car seat for Em for his car because he wants to be in her life for the long run and wanted to be able to take her places without worrying about shuffling seats or cars."

"Wow, that's...wow. He's got it bad for her, Ror. Now, about that date!" Lorelai continued as they walked toward the porch swing and sat down.

"It was a perfect first date, Mom," Rory sighed dreamily as she began to tell her mom all about the date.

"That sounds like an amazing night," Lorelai exhaled when Rory was finished gushing about her night.

"It really was, Mom. I wouldn't change a thing. It was so comfortable and nice and romantic and just...perfect. And he was a perfect gentleman, too. I kind of worried with knowing how Finn was in college, but he was great."

"Well, I'm happy to watch Em anytime you two want to go out. Now, call that hot Aussie of yours and tell him to meet us at the diner; Mommy is starving and starting to experience caffeine withdrawal."

The two women continued to talk animatedly as they walked to the diner and saw Finn and Emma walking toward them. They walked in the door and all sat down at a table just before Luke came over to take their orders.

"You three want the usual?" Luke asked Lorelai and Rory when he walked over.

"Yep!" Rory replied happily. "Luke, I would like to introduce you to Finn Morgan. Finn, this is my step-dad, Luke Danes."

"It's nice to meet you, Luke," Finn replied, holding out his hand to greet the man. "Rory warned me about calling either of you mister, missus, sir or ma'am," he added with a laugh.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Finn. What can I get for you?" Luke asked.

"I'll have the ham and cheese omelette with wheat toast and coffee please."

"Coming right up," Luke replied as he walked toward the kitchen.

"So Finn, tell me about yourself," Lorelai said as they all sipped their coffee.

"Well, you know that Ror and I went to college together. I work in my family business. I just recently moved from New York to Hartford because I wanted to be closer to my family, especially my nieces." Lorelai interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, did a trust fund kid just say that they wanted to be closer to their family?" Finn chuckled at her.

"Yes well, the Morgan family isn't your typical society family. We're a very close-knit group. No arranged marriages or extra-marital affairs or nannies raising the kids while parents ignore them for us. My parents raised us themselves and have always encouraged us to find what we love in life. It just so happens that I love the family business, hence my involvement."

"That's...weird, but good," Lorelai laughed.

"Indeed it is."

"May I ask what the family business is?" Lorelai asked.

"Certainly. Morgan International owns hotels, inns, B&Bs and entertainment venues around the world. I'm Senior VP of Operations and will take over for my dad when he retires."

"So you've grown up from Yale Finn?" Lorelai asked.

"Mom!" Rory exclaimed.

"No, it's okay, kitten," Finn replied as he put his arm around her and hugged her close. "Yes, I've grown up, Lorelai. One of my best mates, Colin, is married with a son and a daughter on the way, and of course, Logan is married as well. Our lives have changed very much. I actually spend a lot of my free time with my nieces."

"Alright, be good to my girls," Lorelai consented.

"Absolutely, Lorelai."


	9. Chapter 9

After having lunch with Lorelai and giving Finn the nickel tour of the town, Finn, Rory and Emma loaded back up in his Navigator to drive back to Hartford, or more specifically, to Colin and Steph's house. Finn couldn't help but notice that Rory was fidgety and quiet during the drive.

"Are you alright, love?" he asked as he took her hand and traced light circles on her palm soothingly.

"I'm good. I'm fine. I'm just...are you sure they aren't mad at me for not keeping in touch or anything? I don't want it to be awkward."

"I'm sure, Ror. I've talked to them both quite a bit in the last week. No one is even a bit upset with you. We all know that you did what you had to do at the time. They are so excited to see you again and meet Em, I promise," Finn finished as they drove into the outskirts of Hartford. He felt Rory visibly relax as he reassured her.

"You're right, I just need to relax and enjoy seeing them. I really did miss you all."

"I know you did, kitten. The important thing is that we're all back in each others' lives now."

"My, this older, more mature Finn certainly is wise. You might have graduated magna cum laude if you'd been like this at Yale," Rory teased him.

"That was a low blow, Miss Gilmore. You're just lucky I'm driving right now or I would extract my revenge by tickling you."

"Hmm...I'm not scared," Rory retorted as she poked him lightly in the side. Finn pulled into the driveway of a beautiful Hartford house as she was teasing him. It was certainly a large home, but it wasn't cold or palatial or imposing like many of society families' homes were.

"You should be scared," he replied as he wiggled his eyebrows at her and put the car in park.

"Nah, I've seen you with my kid; you're a big 'ole softy," she cooed.

"Keep it up, Ror," he tutted back.

They all got out of the car, Finn carrying Em, and proceeded to the door where Steph was already waiting to meet them. As soon as she saw Rory she tore off of the front stoop and embraced Rory in a bear hug.

"Oh my gosh, girly, we have all missed you so much!" Steph cried as she hugged Rory.

"I've missed you guys too, Steph, really. It's really good to see you again."

"Now, let me see this sweet daughter of yours," Steph continued as they broke their embrace, her voice softening as she looked toward Emma. Finn set Emma down and steered her gently toward the two women.

"Em, this is one of my old friends, Steph. Steph, this is Emma," Rory introduced. Steph knelt down in front of Emma, taking in the beautiful little girl in front of her.

"It's nice to meet you, Emma," Steph told her.

"It's nice to meet you too, Miss Steph," Emma answered shyly.

"Finn, Colin and Nathan are in the backyard playing. Maybe you'd like to take Emma outside to meet them?" Steph suggested. "I'd like to talk to Rory for a minute."

"Be nice," Finn instructed Steph as he took Emma's hand and led her into the house.

"I promise. Just girl talk," Steph assured him. The two girls moved into the house, making their way to the kitchen, as Finn and Emma walked to the backyard.

"I'm so sorry that we weren't there for you the last five years, Rory. Before you say anything, we completely understand why you didn't tell any of us, and we don't blame you for that decision. I just hate knowing that we haven't been there to support you when you needed it. None of us are happy with how Logan handled this. We just...we want you to know that we're here for you."

"Thank you, Steph, really. It was all such a big mess. Did Finn tell you that I ran into Logan this week?"

"No! How'd that go?"

"It was definitely awkward. I was in Finn's car because he had taken Em home from school for me since she was sick, and he got a little worked up wanting to know why I was in Finn's car and what was going on between the two of us. Then he had the nerve to say something about Finn watching "our daughter", and I really lost it at that point. He doesn't get to have a say or try to claim her now."

"No, you're absolutely right, but it doesn't surprise me. He's turned into Mitchum, Rory. It's not pretty. As much as I always thought the two of you would end up together and I hate that Emma doesn't know her dad, it really is for the best. He's not the man he used to be."

"Despite what has happened between the two of us, that makes me so sad. He was better than Mitchum."

"He certainly could have been. Not to change the subject, but what's going on with you and Finn?" Steph asked with raised eyebrows.

"I'm not exactly sure. I mean, I know that we're definitely seeing each other. He's spent tons of time with Em and me this week, and he was a total godsend Thursday and Friday when she was home from school sick. He took me out on our first date last night."

"Ooh, do tell, girly!" Steph squealed as the girls sat down at the table, Rory with coffee and Steph with a bottle of water. Rory proceeded to tell Steph all about the previous night, and Steph didn't disappoint. She swooned and gushed as Rory told her the story of their romantic first date.

"That is so perfect!" Steph exclaimed when Rory had finished.

"It really was," Rory replied dreamily. "So tell me about Finn. He definitely isn't the same Finn that I knew at Yale, or even the same Finn from five years ago in New Hampshire."

"No, he's definitely not the same Finn," Steph chuckled. "He's matured really well, Rory. I know that with you being a single mom it has to be hard to trust someone, especially someone with a past like his, but you can feel safe letting him in. He doesn't drink as much, doesn't sleep around. He's serious about the family business. He's had a few actual girlfriends over the last several years. He spends tons of time with Nathan and his nieces. Colin has already given him the talk, too."

"The talk?" Rory asked, obviously confused.

"Kind of like a "hurt her and I'll hurt you" talk. Colin made it quite clear that he should walk away unless he's committed to being in Emma's life for the long run."

"Well, thank you for looking out for me," Rory replied quietly with a blush.

"That's what friends are for. Now, shall we join the guys and the kids in the backyard? Colin is dying to see you, and I can't wait for you to meet Nate."

"Of course!" Rory replied happily. She followed Steph into the backyard and smiled as she took in the sight before her. Colin and Finn were talking to each other animatedly as they pushed Nathan and Emma on the swingset. Steph caught a glimpse of the happy smile on Rory's face and leaned in close to her ear.

"You know, Finn's crazy about you two. He's been crazy about you since college, and Emma already has him wrapped around her finger," Steph whispered conspiratorially. Rory just looked at her, eyes wide, surprised at her friend's revelation.

"Reporter girl!" Colin called when he caught sight of his old friend. "It's so good to see you again," he continued as he crossed the yard and hugged her.

"It's so great to see you as well. Really, I've missed you all so much. It feels great to have you guys all back in my life," Rory replied.

The group of adults settled into easy conversation as they sat on the back deck. They watched the kids play together and caught up on the last five years of their lives, and much to Rory's relief, there was no awkwardness. It felt like almost no time had passed at all in terms of their friendships. Rory helped Steph finish up a salad, take the roasted veggies and scalloped potatoes out of the oven and set the table while Finn and Colin manned the grill and watched the kids play outside during dinner prep.

After they had all settled at the table and started eating dinner, Rory looked around her with gratitude. Her beautiful daughter, the light of her life, was chatting happily with Nathan and seemed to like Colin and Steph as well. She had her old friends, obviously still very much in love, sitting across from her. It warmed her heart to see Steph unconsciously laying her hand on her six-month pregnant belly, much like Rory had done when she was pregnant with Em. And there was an amazing man next to her. He had matured and become responsible, but he was also still the same fun-loving, outgoing Finn. From her perspective at this dinner, hopefully one of many more to come, Rory couldn't help but think about just how amazing her life was.


	10. Chapter 10

Logan was sitting in his corner office at the HPG building in London considering the events of that last week in Connecticut. He couldn't help but be angry of the way his two best friends treated him over the Rory situation and thrown off by his run-in with Rory. He hasn't expected to see her at all, but especially not in Finn's Porsche. He ran his hand through his hair and signed heavily as he reflected on the situation. How had things gotten to this point? And had Rory started something with one of his best friends?

He quickly opened his internet browser and typed in "Rory Gilmore Hartford" to see what he could dig up about her life since New Hampshire. Scrolling through the links and clicking here and there, he learned that her daughter, Emma Leigh Gilmore, had has been born in Hartford on July 3, 2017. There were more links with exerpts and reviews of a book that she had apparently written, aptly named Gilmore Girls. It has been published by a small publishing house in Philly. And then there was an article about a benefit for childhood leukemia that made his heart stop beating for a minute. Surely it couldn't be, could it?

Quickly considering his options, Logan finally picked up his phone and dialed a familiar number, hoping that he would answer. After three rings, he did.

"Morgan," came the voice of one of his best friends.

"Finn, how are you, man?"

"I'm good, mate. How are the moving preparations going on your side of the pond?"

"They're going well. That's the beauty of having a wife - she handles all of that while I put in my time in the office. Listen, I know this might be awkward, but I need to ask you something."

"Go ahead, mate," Finn answered quickly.

"First, this isn't what I called to ask you, but are you and Rory seeing each other?"

"Logan, where is this coming from? You walked away from them. You can't have it both ways, man."

"I know that, Finn. I just happened upon some info today that made me wonder how close you two are."

Finn sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Yes, we are seeing each other, but its still very new."

"So you know quite a bit about Emma?" Logan hedged.

"I'm not discussing Emma with you, Logan. If you want info on her you'll have to talk to Rory, although I really don't think she will give you any."

"I just need to know...is she okay? I read the article about her condition..." Logan trailed off.

"What are you talking about, mate?"

"You really don't know, Finn?" Logan asked in shock. "I just assumed that she would have told you, but maybe she doesn't trust you enough to," he finished, trying to get a dig in at the relationship. If he couldn't get his information from Finn maybe he could at least cast some doubts on the budding relationship between his friend and his ex.

"That's bullshit, Logan. Don't try to ruin this; I won't let you do it."

"Don't take my word for it, man. I just emailed you the article so you can read it yourself. It's not my fault your girlfriend didn't tell you."

"You're on thin ice, mate. I'm hanging up now; stay out of mine and Rory's relationship," Finn warned as he pressed the end button and cursed silently.

Right at that moment his email dinged with a notification of a new email from Logan. Finn reluctantly opened his email and clicked on the message. He followed the link and his jaw dropped as he read the article. This couldn't be right. Why wouldn't Rory have told him herself? Finn was numb as he shut down his computer and told his secretary that he was taking the afternoon off. He sent Colin a quick text asking him if he could meet him at a local bar and steered his car in that direction as soon as he got the confirmation from Colin.

Colin walked into the bar half an hour later to find a forlorn looking Finn nursing a glass of scotch.

"I got here as soon as I could, man. What's going on?"

Finn just opened the link to the article that Logan had sent him and slid his phone over to Colin. Colin quickly began reading the article and turned to Finn when he finished it.

"I had no idea," Colin told Finn quietly.

"Neither did I, mate. Logan called today and was asking questions and sent me the link to the article. Why wouldn't she tell me, Colin? This seems like the kind of thing I should know, does it not?"

"It does, Finn, but I'm sure that she had her reasons. Have you talked to her about it?"

"Not yet. She's at work. Logan said...well, he insinuated that she doesn't trust me enough to tell me," Finn lamented. "I thought that we were on our way to something good, but now I have no bloody idea what to think."

"I think you need to go talk to her in person and give her a chance to explain. Don't accuse or get angry. Just let her know what Logan sent you and see what she says. I really think she's crazy about you, man. I'm sure there's a reason."

"I hope you're right, mate," Finn replied quietly.

"Are you okay to drive?" Colin asked, eyeing Finn's glass.

"Yeah, this is my first and I haven't even had half of it. I'm good. I'll go meet them when they get home from school and talk to her. I'll call you later and let you know what she says. Thanks for talking me down, mate."

"What else are friends for?" Colin chuckled.

Finn sat on Rory's front porch waiting for her and Emma to get home from school. He was more nervous than he had been in quite some time. Damn Logan for trying to manipulate him and Rory and get in their heads. Finn kept trying to reassure himself that there had to be a good explanation until he finally saw Rory pull into the driveway.

"I wasn't expecting you when we got home," Rory greeted him happily as she got out of the car and unbuckled Emma, who immediately ran into his arms giggling.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just needed to talk to you about something. Perhaps we could get Little Love situated in her room and we could talk in the living room?"

Rory took in the solemn expression and serious tone of Finn's request and was immediately worried. Was he breaking up with her? She had just opened herself up to him, but that didn't mean that losing him wouldn't hurt.

"Yeah, sure. Let me just get her a snack and then I will let her watch a movie in her room," Rory replied feeling quite nervous. She quickly got Emma's snack and turned on a movie before meeting Finn back in the living room.

"Is everything okay, Finn?" she asked as she sat down.

"I don't know, love. I really thought things were going well between us and that we trusted each other, but this whole thing has me feeling very unsure. Logan called me today and had some questions about you and Em. I didn't give him any information and told him that he would have to talk to you, but then he threw me for a loop. Do you trust me, Rory?"

"Of course I do, Finn. Where is this coming from?"

Much like he had done with Colin, he unlocked his phone and handed it over to her silently. Rory's heart dropped as she read the article and suddenly she understood why Finn felt so hurt. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. It was more her trying not to dwell on the harsh realities of Emma's situation and trying to respect Emma's wishes.

"I'm so sorry, Finn," she told him with tears in her eyes. "I do trust you completely. It's just...God, sometimes I just don't even want to think about it myself, much less talk about it. It sucks, you know? No child should have to go through what that kid has gone through. It was hell for a while. I wasn't keeping it from you out of malice. Emma and I had talked about it, and she didn't want to share quite yet, and because it's her story to share I let her make that decision. She doesn't like being reminded of it either and likes to just be a normal girl."

"I can understand that, kitten. God, I'm glad Colin talked me down. Logan had me questioning our relationship."

"I'm so sorry, Finn. Let me go talk to Em and I'll be right back," Rory replied softly.

Rory walked into Emma's room and paused the movie before sitting down next to her on her bed.

"Hey, Em. Can we talk? You know how Finn has been spending a lot of time with us?"

"Yeah, Mommy."

"Well, Finn really loves you, and I think it would be good to tell him about your condition. Do you think we could do that together now?"

"Do you think he will still love me just as much, Mommy?" Emma asked tearfully.

"Of course, sweet girl," Rory reassured her.

"Okay," Emma quietly consented.

The two girls walked back into the living room and Emma sat down between Rory and Finn.

"Finn, Emma has something she would like to tell you," Rory prodded. Emma slowly reached over and grabbed each of their hands before she looked at Finn.

"Finny, Mommy said that you love me and that won't change, right?" she asked timidly.

"Of course, Em. There's nothing that could make me quit loving you."

"Mommy lets me decide when to tell people about me and I want to tell you."

Finn was taken aback by how much older than a four-year old Emma sounded, likely the product of her being an only child, being Rory's child, and the things she had experienced in her short life.

"I'm glad you want to tell me, Little Love," Finn encouraged her.

"I'm okay for right now, but I have to take medicine to stay okay because I have leukemia," Emma told him quietly.

Finn felt tears prick his eyes and pulled Emma into his lap and hugged her tightly and took a moment to compose himself.

"Thank you for trusting me with your secret, Emma. I'm so glad you're okay."

"You're welcome, Finny. Can I go play now, Mommy?"

"Of course, sweet girl. You go ahead," Rory replied with a small chuckle. They both watched Emma hop up and run back to her room before talking again.

"She has lymphoblastic leukemia and is in remission. She's did what's known as targeted therapy, and it was very successful. We have to go in next month for labs and scans to make sure that she's still clear and be very aware of any illnesses. She's been through so much, Finn. It was heartbreaking to see her there in the hospital any not knowing what was wrong, and then I felt like I couldn't put one foot in front of the other when we got the diagnosis. It's not fair that my baby has to deal with this, Finn," Rory finished as she broke down in tears.

Finn gathered her in his arms and held her, stroking her hair soothingly, as she sobbed into his chest.

"You don't have to deal with this alone, Rory. I'm here for you now, and I'll be there for Emma, too. You girls can count on me," Finn reassured as he held her tightly.


	11. Chapter 11

Finn looked out the window of his Hartford office as he reflected on the last week. Life had settled back down for him and Rory after Logan's interference the previous week, and he and Rory and Emma had been spending more time together. They usually cooked dinner together at Rory's house, and Finn often picked Emma up from school if Rory had things to do after the last class of the day. He looked to the clock and shut down his computer and locked his office after he saw the time.

"Caroline, I'm out for the day. I'll have my cell phone with me if you need anything," Finn told his secretary as he walked out of his office.

"Have a great evening, Mr. Morgan. Picking up Miss Emma today?" she asked with a smile. She had been Finn's secretary for many years, having made the move from New York back to Hartford when he did, and it warmed her heart to see the recent changes in his life.

"I am, Caroline. And please, if I've told you once I've told you a million times, please call me Finn," he playfully admonished her as he continued out of the office.

He made the short drive to Chilton and walked to Emma's classroom to pick her up. He smiled as he watched her playing with her friends for a moment before getting her attention. She was playing princess with two of her classmates, dancing and twirling in a dress-up princess dress over her uniform. He chuckled as he watched her curtsey, and then smiled as her face lit up when he saw him.

"Finny!" she exclaimed happily! "Are you picking me up today?"

"I am, little love. Why don't you take your dress-up dress off and I'll get your backpack and papers?"

She quickly began taking off the dress-up clothes that she had on while Finn walked over to her cubby, retrieving her backpack. Her teacher, Mrs. Worthington, met him at Emma's cubby with a small stack of papers in her hand.

"Mr. Morgan, nice to see you. Here are Emma's papers from the school," she told him as she handed him the papers.

"Thank you, Mrs. Worthington. Did she have a good day?"

"She had a great day," she replied as she walked across the room to intercept a budding block war. Finn slung Emma's backpack on his shoulder and took her hand as the two walked down the hall and out to Finn's car. He buckled her in and then got in the front seat, leafing quickly through the papers that her teacher had handed him to ensure that she didn't need anything for the next day. He stopped as he saw a flyer for an event at the school the following Saturday and considered the event as he read the details. He finally sat the papers in his passenger seat and drove to a nearby ice cream parlor where he and Emma enjoyed ice cream and then walked a couple of doors down to the grocery store.

"What sounds good for dinner, little love?" he asked Emma.

"Can we have cheeseburgers, please?" Emma asked, turning her Bambi eyes to Finn.

"Anything you want, Em," he chuckled. They got all of the necessary items for burgers, salad and a fruit pizza and drove back to Rory's house. They had exchanged keys the previous week to make things easier if Finn wanted to bring Emma back to Rory's house after school. He got Emma situated with a book and some juice while he made the patties for the burgers and the salad, stashing both in the fridge so that they would be ready when it was time to cook dinner. He then baked the sugar cookie dough for the fruit pizza and mixed up the cream cheese and powdered sugar and cut up the fruit while it baked. Once he took it out to cool he turned his attention to Emma, sitting down with her at the table.

"How was school today, Em?" he asked her.

"It was good, Finny. I had lots of fun!" she exclaimed happily.

"What was your favorite part of your day?" he asked as Rory walked in the door.

"My favorite part of the day was ice cream with you!" she exclaimed as she got up and ran to Rory.

"Hey, guys!" Rory greeted them as she picked Emma up and hugged her. "Let me go change and I'll be right back."

Rory returned to the dining room where Finn and Emma were still chatting away a few minutes later, now in jeans and a comfortable t-shirt. She grabbed a bottle of water and sat down at the table with them, enjoying watching the two interact. Finally Finn turned his attention to Rory, leaning over and kissing her temple.

"Are you gorgeous ladies ready to eat? All we need to do is grill the burgers and we'll be ready for dinner."

"I'm starved," Rory replied as she got up and moved to the kitchen. She helped Finn carry the burgers out while he started the grill and Emma played in the backyard happily, lost in her own world of adventure and pretend. Once Finn was certain that Emma wasn't paying attention to them anymore he turned to Rory and began the conversation he'd been considering since he got into his car at Chilton.

"Hey Ror, Mrs. Worthington gave me Em's papers from the school today and I saw the flyer about the father-daughter dance next weekend. If it's okay with you, I would love to ask Emma if I could take her," he asked, sounding nervous.

"You would want to do that for her?" Rory asked quietly.

"Of course I would, kitten. I've told you before, there's nothing I wouldn't do for that girl. Obviously she doesn't have a father figure, but the flyer said to bring your favorite guy, and I would be honored to go with her. What do you say?"

Rory found herself standing in front of this amazing man, quite possibly the last man she ever would have expected to be making the choice to be a strong male influence in her daughter's life, and wiped the tears that had begun to form in her eyes.

"I say you have a four-year old to ask out on a date," Rory chuckled as she hugged him tight.

"Really, love?"

"Really!" she chuckled.

"Can I ask her now?" he asked excitedly. Rory laughed at the sight of this 39-year old man practically bouncing in excitement over the prospect of taking her daughter to a father-daughter dance. It was just too cute and sweet for words.

"Go!" she quickly shooed him as she placed the burgers on the grill.

Finn quickly bounded across the yard to where Emma was playing, thankfully within hearing distance from Rory, and knelt down in front of her.

"Hey, Em, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked her.

"Uh-huh."

"There's a fun dance at your school next weekend for little girls and their favorite guys," he began, careful not to directly address the event being for fathers and daughters, "and I was hoping that you would let me take you out to a fancy dinner, just you and me, and to the dance."

"What do you do at a dance, Finny?" Emma asked, scrunching up her little button nose as she considered Finn's statement.

"Well, you dance like a princess and have punch and cookies and have all kinds of fun," Finn whispered conspiratorially.

"Could I dress like a princess, too? Would you be my prince?" she asked eagerly. Finn chuckled at her excitement.

"You sure can, Em. As long as it's okay with your mom, we can go shopping for a princess dress for you tomorrow, and I would be honored to be your prince." Rory's heart melted even more as she watched them.

"Yes, Finny, yes!" Emma shrieked as she launched herself into his arms, almost knocking him down since he was already crouching. Finn laughed as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

"Mommy, can we go dress shopping with Finny tomorrow? Please?" Emma begged.

"Please, Mommy? Finny wants to do this for his favorite little girl in the world," he added pleasingly.

Rory just laughed at the pair and nodded her assent as she flipped the burgers. She left the two of them playing in the backyard while she grabbed the salad and dessert pizza in addition to plates and silverware, bringing everything to the table on the back patio. It was a gorgeous fall evening, and it only seemed right to enjoy dinner outside. She walked back in the house and grabbed Emma's juice, a bottle of wine and two wine glasses and sat them on the table before removing the burgers from the grill. After sending Emma in to wash her hands, the three of them sat down and enjoyed dinner, laughter and conversation. Over the past few weeks, more of her evenings had ended up like this than had ended up with just herself and Emma having dinner, and she couldn't help but think how nice this was.


	12. Chapter 12

Saturday morning found Rory suddenly awakened by a blonde-haired bundle of energy who had launched onto her bed.

"Mommy, wake up! Finny is taking me dress shopping this morning!" Emma exclaimed happily to her mom. Emma had been so excited about today's shopping that she'd been hard to get to bed the previous night.

"You're not excited, are you, baby girl?" Rory chuckled.

"Yes, I'm excited, Mommy! Get ready!" Emma commanded as she bounded back out of the room, already fully dressed.

Rory laughed at her daughter's excitement and padded to the kitchen to start the coffee before hopping in the shower. An hour and a half later they were ready, Rory was caffeinated, and Finn was walking through the front door to pick them up.

"How are my girls?" Finn asked as he walked in the room. He smiled as Emma took off across the room toward him and ran into his arms.

"Finny, I'm so excited!" Emma squealed.

"I'm so excited, too, little love. Do you want to take my car or Mommy's?" Finn asked.

"I like your car, Finny," Emma told him.

"My car it is, sweet girl," he told her as he walked over toward Rory and kissed her sweetly as he wrapped his free arm around her. "Good morning, kitten," he greeted Rory.

"Morning, handsome. Are you ready for the craziness of shopping with two Gilmore girls?"

"I'm certain I can handle it," Finn chuckled.

He led the girls out to his SUV, opening Rory's door before situating Emma in her carseat and then getting himself into the driver's seat. He drove to a nearby cafe that had the best french toast he'd ever eaten and they were quickly seated at a booth. They ordered their food and soon were lost in conversation. He'd grown quite fond of their almost-daily meals together. He had grown up with a family that ate together around the dinner table, talking about their days and lives, and he relished being able to have that experience with Rory and Emma now. It seemed as though his becoming such a family man for his nieces was helping him adjust quite easily to his girlfriend also being a mom.

He drove to the Hartford mall after breakfast and Emma's excitement was almost uncontainable. She was continually talking about getting to be a princess and her upcoming date with Prince Finn, and it warmed his heart to see her excitement. She might not know her father, but he would move heaven and earth to make sure that she didn't miss out on having a strong male influence in her daily life.

He led the girls to Nordstrom and watched Emma's eyes light up as she looked at dress after dress, holding them up and spinning around as she pointed out what she liked about each one.

"Oh, this one, Mommy!" Emma squealed as she saw a pale pink dress. It had a chiffon bodice and a full tulle skirt and looked quite fit for a princess.

"Are there any others you want to try on, love?" Finn asked.

"Ummm..that one and that one," Emma added pointing to a purple chiffon dress and a light green satin dress. Finn picked up the dresses that Emma liked and carried them to the fitting room door, kissing Rory as he handed the dresses to her and sat down in the chair outside the door.

Rory brought Emma into a fitting room and helped her into the green dress first. She had a feeling that the pink dress would be _the dress_ , and she wanted to save it for last. Emma pranced out to where Finn was waiting after she had the green dress on and twirled as she looked at herself in the three-way mirrors.

"It's not very princess-y," she told Finn as she wrinkled up her nose. Finn recognized that adorable face as one he'd seen her mom make many times, and it was just as cute coming from the daughter.

"Well, you do look lovely, but I'm afraid you're right. It just isn't something a princess would wear to a big party, is it?" Finn asked Emma.

"Nope!" Emma replied as she hurried back to the fitting room. "It's not a princess dress, Mommy," Emma informed her mom. Rory just laughed as she took in her daughter. She was such a precocious little girl.

"Well, we can't have that, can we? Let's try on the purple dress next," Rory told her as she began to take the green dress off of Emma and help her into the purple dress.

"What do you think, baby girl?" Rory asked as she finished buttoning the dress and tied the bow.

"I need to ask Finn, Mommy!" Emma told her mom in a tone that clearly told Rory that Emma couldn't believe she'd dared think Emma would make a decision on a dress without Finn's input. Emma bounced back out to Finn, twirling in front of him and looking in the mirrors just as she had in the green dress.

"Still not very princess-y," she lamented to Finn.

"We certainly can't have that," Finn told her. "I'm certain that the right dress is here somewhere though, Em. Want to have your Mom help you try on the pink dress?"

"Yeah!" Emma answered as she ran back to the fitting room once more.

"What did Finn think?" Rory asked her daughter.

"Still not princess-y enough," Emma replied.

Rory chuckled as she helped Emma take off the purple dress and slip into the pink dress. Looking at her daughter, Rory couldn't help but think that Emma definitely looked like a princess in this dress. Emma's face lit up when she saw herself in the dressing room mirror and she ran out to Finn excitedly.

"What about this one, Finn?" she asked, her love for the dress evident all over her face.

"Oh, Emma. I think that is the perfect princess dress for you, sweet girl. You look beautiful," Finn told her. She smiled broadly and hugged Finn after hearing his thoughts on her dress.

"Can I have this one please, Finn?" she asked him, her eyes pleading with him.

"Absolutely, Princess Emma. Why don't you have your mom help you change back into your clothes and we'll find you some shoes and tights?" Finn asked.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Finny!" Emma exclaimed happily as she returned to the fitting room.

"Your daughter is beautiful," the saleslady who had seen the entire exchange told him.

"Thank you," Finn said. "She's actually my girlfriend's daughter."

"Well, they're both lucky to have you. My husband is fantastic with our kids, but that's not the norm."

"Thank you," Finn answered, feeling almost shy at the compliment. Just then Rory and Emma walked back to Finn. Finn wrapped his arm around Rory and kissed her on the forehead, taking Emma's hand with his free hand.

"Oh wow, your girlfriend is also gorgeous. I think you might be as lucky to have them as they are to have you," the saleslady joked.

"Don't I know it," Finn returned as they walked off towards the shoe department.

Half an hour later, they had purchased the dress, matching pink dress shoes, and sparkly white tights, and Emma was bubbling over with excitement. Finn sent the two girls to the food court to satiate their never-ending appetites and snuck back into Nordstrom on his own, where he grabbed a pink dress shirt to match Emma's dress, a tie that would look nice with the shirt, and then he walked over to the jewelry cases for a surprise for Emma. He picked out an appropriate gold necklace with a charm that was a heart with a pink sapphire on it, taking care to ensure that it wasn't anything too extravagant for her. He felt certain that Rory would see to it that the necklace was well taken care of. Happy with his purchases, he took his bags and walked to the food court to find his girls.


	13. Chapter 13

The next week flew by, and before they knew it the day of the dance arrived. Finn had insisted on treating Rory and Emma to manicures and pedicures and also made an appointment for Emma to get her hair done and Rory to get her hair cut. Rory had assured Finn many times that she was more than capable of paying for their appointments, but he ultimately insisted that he wanted to take care of his girls and wouldn't take no for an answer. Truthfully, she was quite stressed about Emma's upcoming scans and check-up and welcomed the distraction from that part of her life while she enjoyed a carefree few hours of pampering with her daughter. They went to lunch after their appointments and arrived home with just enough time to get Emma ready for her big evening. Rory helped her put on her dress, tights, and shoes and then channeled her inner-Lorelai and took enough pictures to document the event for posterity's sake, chuckling to herself as she remembered her mom taking pictures of her and Dean before her first dance at Chilton.

Finn knocked on the door, having decided that a date shouldn't let himself in, and his face lit up when he saw Emma all dressed up and ready to go. The little girl had captured his heart, and he was so grateful to have the opportunity to take her to this dance, even if he wasn't her father.

"You look lovely, Princess Emma. These are for you," he told her as he handed her a bouquet of pink roses.

"Thank you, Finny. I've never gotten flowers before!" Emma told him. "And pink is my favorite color, too!"

"I know, sweet girl. That's why I chose pink roses for you," Finn chuckled.

"And you're wearing pink, too, Finn!" she exclaimed happily, taking in his light pink shirt and pink, black and grey pinstriped tie.

"Of course I am, Em. I had to match my date. Now, you look almost ready to go. There's just one thing missing," Finn told her as he took a small package out of his breast pocket and handed it to Emma. Emma tore the paper off excitedly and squealed when she saw the necklace inside.

"This is for me?" she asked excitedly.

"It is, baby girl. Would you like me to put it on you?" Finn asked her.

"Please, please, please!" Emma replied quickly.

Finn took the necklace out of the box and put it on Emma, winking at Rory as he saw her wiping away a tear.

"You okay there, love?" he whispered in her ear after he'd finished putting Emma's necklace on and wrapped his arms around Rory.

"Yeah, I'm good. It's just...you're amazing, you know that? Thank you for loving my baby girl so much."

"It's my pleasure, Ror. You know, I'm pretty crazy about her mom as well," he whispered conspiratorially.

"Mmm...I hear she's crazy about you, too," Rory replied as she kissed him chastely.

The couple broke apart and Finn and Emma posed for more pictures for Rory before heading out to dinner. Finn had made reservations for a local upscale restaurant, knowing that they had items on the menu that Emma would enjoy and that the atmosphere would make her feel like a princess. They were sitting across from each other, Emma talking Finn's ear off, when he heard the one voice he absolutely didn't want to hear while he was with Emma.

"Finn, man, good to see you."

"Logan, Odette. Fancy seeing you two here," Finn managed to reply, his mind already running amuck with the many ways that this situation could quickly go badly.

"Isn't she a bit young for you, Finn?" Logan teased.

"Something like that, mate. You guys should probably get to your table, right?" FInn asked, hoping to cut this impromptu reunion short. Of all of the restaurants in Hartford, he never would have thought that they would be here at the same time he and Emma were.

"Is this one of your nieces?" Odette asked him.

"Umm, no," Finn answered evasively.

"I met Finn's niece named Ava!" Emma piped up.

"What's your name?" Odette asked her.

"I'm Emma, but tonight I'm Princess Emma, and Finn is Prince Finn," Emma happily told the woman.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Princess Emma. You look like someone I know," Odette added.

 _Oh shit_ , thought Finn. _Abort, abort!_

"Logan, mate, give me a call this week and we'll have a drink or something," Finn said, once again attempting to end the conversation before it got even worse.

"Sure, I'll do that, man," Logan answered. Meanwhile Odette kept looking at Emma, studying her features, likely trying to figure out why she looked so familiar.

Suddenly a look of realization came across Logan's face.

"Finn, is this…" Logan trailed off.

"You should get going, mate," Finn answered tersely.

"Yeah, I should," Logan answered, suddenly sounding very unsure of himself. As Odette leaned over to kiss Finn's cheek and bid him adieu, Logan couldn't resist the opportunity to get more information.

"Emma, how old are you?"

"I'm four," Emma answered before Finn could stop her.

"What's your mom's name?" Logan asked, even more certain now that he must be looking at his daughter.

"Rory Gilmore," Emma answered just as Finn said "That's enough, Logan!"

"What's going on here?" Odette asked, having clued into the fact that there was more to this conversation than there seemed to be on the surface.

"She's my…" Logan trailed off, not daring to finish the sentence.

"This conversation is over, Logan," Finn warned him sternly. "You go enjoy your evening with your wife and Emma and I will get back to our evening."

"Where do I know that name?" Odette mused aloud, half to herself. She looked at Emma again and suddenly turned white as a ghost, realizing why Emma looked so familiar. That button nose and smile were identical to those of her husband, and Rory Gilmore was the woman who her husband had been seeing on the side before she moved in with him in London, just over five years ago. "I suddenly don't feel much like dinner, Logan. I think it's best that we go home," Odette barked. "We have some issues to discuss."

Logan simply turned away and followed his wife out of the restaurant, still unable to speak. _That's my daughter. I just saw my daughter for the first time,_ Logan thought as he walked back to his car and pointed toward their new home.

Finn quickly took out his cell phone and send a text to Rory.

 _Logan and Odette were at the same restaurant we're at, and I think they put two and two together, love. They're gone now, but I thought you should know. Em is safe with me._

"Finny, why were that man and that woman asking me so many questions?" Emma asked Finn suddenly.

"They are friends of mine, Em. They just wondered who you were because they hadn't met you yet," Finn deflected. "Now, sweet girl, your mom and I need you to make sure you don't talk to strangers, okay? Not everyone you meet is nice."


	14. Chapter 14

Finn was a bit taken aback as they pulled into the Chilton parking lot for the dance. He'd taken some pointers from Steph over what to expect, and he was quite happy that he'd heeded her advice. It appears that the fathers of Chilton, as well as the people who planned the event, approached father-daughter dances with the same attitude that they approached the rest of life - go big, be seen, make an impression.

He'd elected to take the car service in order to allow Emma a chance to ride in a limo, and she'd squealed and bounced from foot to foot when she'd seen her chariot for the night. The driver pulled up in front of the red carpet that had been rolled out for the night and someone opened the door to the limo to allow Finn to exit. He buttoned up his suit coat and reached in to help Emma out of the car. She exited as gracefully as an excited four-year old girl could and held Finn's hand as they walked down the carpet and got the first of many pictures taken at the event. Just inside the door Finn bought Emma a handmade corsage that had pink and purple hand-sewn flowers on it, and Emma giggled as he slid it on her wrist. Once they arrived at the actual dance, Emma happily led Finn over and introduced him to a couple of her classmates.

"Olivia and Hailey, this is _**my**_ Finn," she proclaimed happily as she introduced him, putting an emphasis on the word "my", and Finn's heart melted at hearing her refer to him as "her Finn". It struck him just how much Rory and her family must work to impart good manners to Emma, because he'd never heard a four-year old who had mastered the art of formal introductions as well either.

"It's nice to meet you lovely ladies," Finn greeted in reply, chuckling to himself as he watched the girls devolve into more age-appropriate conversation. They were happily exclaiming over how pretty the decorations were and their dresses while Finn introduced himself to Olivia's and Hailey's fathers.

"Finn Morgan, it's nice to meet you gentlemen," Finn greeted.

"I'm Alex Worthington, Olivia's father," a tall blonde-haired man returned.

"And I'm Matt Wadsworth," a shorter brunette added. "I'm Hailey's father. I guess our daughters are friends," he said, motioning to the girls who were now twirling like ballerinas.

"Emma is my girlfriend's daughter, but it does appear that they're great friends," Finn told the two men he'd just met.

"How'd the girlfriend rope you into tonight?" Matt asked.

"I tried everything I could to get out of this," Alex lamented.

"It was actually my idea. I wanted to be able to do this for Emma," Finn replied. "She deserves to feel like a princess tonight." It shouldn't surprise him that these fathers didn't want to be there, after all, he knew how society worked, but that didn't make it any less shocking. He couldn't think of anywhere else he'd rather be than right here with Emma tonight. Anticipating the questions that would surely be coming about who and where Emma's father was, he took Emma's hand to get her attention.

"Hey, Em," he began as he knelt next to her, "may I have this dance?"

"Sure, Finny," Emma giggled.

As he was walking away, he couldn't help but hear the two men he'd just been talking to.

"Suck up. I don't know who he thinks he is," came one voice.

"I bet he's just trying to get in good with his girlfriend," came the other.

"What does that mean, Finn?" Emma asked, motioning back to the men they'd just left.

"It just means that they're jealous that I have the prettiest princess at the whole dance, little love," Finn replied with a wink, sending Emma into fits of giggles.

He lead her over to the dance floor that was peppered with dancing fathers and daughters. Seeing that most of the fathers of younger girls were being held by their fathers, he picked Emma up and spun and swayed with her as she chattered away about how excited she was about the night, and he couldn't help but get even more excited as he saw the night through her eyes. He dipped her and kissed her cheek as their first dance ended and then followed her to the refreshments to get some punch at her request. After punch and cookies they took their turn in the photo booth, taking a strip of serious photos including Finn kissing her cheek and her kissing his cheek, and then a strip of silly photos with the props that were set out to choose from. Emma outfitted Finn with a feather boa and tiara, and Finn put Emma in the top hat and an oversized pair of pink sunglasses. When the photos came out of the machine Finn laughed at their strip of silly photos - they were something that Rory would absolutely love. He quickly purchased a second set of the photos so that he and Rory could each have a set before being led off by Emma to where they were now doing the Cha-Cha Slide. Finn danced right alongside Emma, much to her delight.

"You're so fun, Finn! None of the other dads dance as good as you do!" she giggled, and Finn's heart caught in his throat. Sure, she hadn't called her his dad, and frankly none of them were ready for that, but she lumped him in with a group of dads. He quickly pulled himself from his thoughts and continued dancing alongside Emma, them both laughing as he hammed it up.

Winded from the Cha-Cha slide, Finn took Emma to the professional photo backdrop that they had set up and they had a series of pictures taken there. He purchased prints of those photos, to be delivered to Rory when they were ready, along with a copy of the video that the professional videographer was filming.

At this point, Finn heard the beginning of "When You Need Me" by Bruce Springsteen and asked Emma to dance again. He loved this song; his parents had played it at the party they threw for his high school graduation, and he and his mom had danced to it then. Since then, she would sometimes include snippets of the lyrics in letters that she sent him or in their conversations. He picked her up, holding her close to him and sang softly in her ear as they danced.

 _When you need me call my name  
'Cause without you my life just wouldn't be the same  
If you want me come sunny skies or rain  
When you need me just call my name  
If you miss me, I'll be there  
To brush the sunlight from your hair  
I'll be there to guide you when trouble walks beside you  
If you need me I'll be there  
And when this dirty world has been cold to you  
I got two strong arms waitin' to hold you  
And when those mean days come along  
We'll stand together and we'll take 'em on  
So if you need me just call my name  
When you need me call my name  
'Cause without you my life just isn't the same  
'Cause when this world kicked me around  
Baby, you picked me up off the ground  
So if you need me I'll be there_

Finn was so caught up in the moment that he didn't notice the photographer and videographer with their lenses trained on him, nor the woman across the room who was taking video with her cell phone as he danced with Emma. By this point, Emma was yawning and had snuggled into Finn and laid her head on his chest.

"Are you ready to go home, sweet girl?" Finn asked her tenderly as he saw her eyes bobbing closed.

"Uh-huh," she murmured sleepily. Finn carried Emma to the waiting limo and settled her next to him in the back. She promptly wriggled out of her shoes and curled up in a ball, snuggling close to Finn. Finn stroked her hair as she drifted off to sleep, and before he knew it the car was pulling up in front of Rory's house. He gathered Emma into his arms, taking care to pick up her shoes as well, and walked in the front door.

"Cinderella didn't quite make it to midnight, but the handsome prince did manage to find her shoes," he told Rory as she walked over to meet them.

"It's lucky that she has such an amazing Prince Charming," Rory replied with a sweet smile. "Let's get the princess to bed."


	15. Chapter 15

While Finn and Emma were happily laughing the night away at the father-daughter dance, the atmosphere was drastically different across Hartford at the younger Huntzberger mansion, although the focus of the night was still fathers and daughters, or rather a very specific father and daughter. Logan and Odette had driven home in deafening silence and he was bracing himself for the coming explosion. Odette was normally quite chatty, and when she got quiet it was never a good sign. It meant she was pissed as hell, and he was about to face her wrath.

They walked in the front door of their new house and she immediately took off her high heels and threw them angrily at Logan. They whirred toward him, thankfully missing their intended target. A Jimmy Choo to the head was not the way he wanted to die, although that might be preferable to having this conversation with his pissed-off wife.

"When?" Odette asked angrily.

"When what, O?" Logan shot back, running his hands through his hair. It had always been his nervous tell.

"Don't play dumb now, jackass. How about when did you knock up your mistress? When did you last see her? When did you find out you had a daughter?" she ranted.

"When I knocked her up and when I last saw her can both be answered the same way - it was in the fall of 2016, right after you moved in with me in London. She found out you'd moved in and called to break things off with me. The guys and I flew to the States and we had one final night together. She told me she was pregnant right before Christmas. I haven't actually seen her since then - she told me she was pregnant via text and we overnighted the legal paperwork."

"And you didn't think it necessary to tell your fiance that you had fathered a child with another woman?" Odette growled indignantly.

"It's not that simple, Odette," Logan began exasperatedly.

"I'm a smart woman; make me understand, Logan. All I understand at the moment is that you saw her again after she'd broken things off and apparently couldn't keep your wits about you long enough to use proper birth control, and then you chose not to tell me about any of it," Odette yelled.

"I knew that I couldn't bring scandal to the Huntzberger name and there was no way to keep things quiet with the media scrutiny that you and I receive, so I did the only thing I could think of to make it go away."

"So help me God, Logan, if you tell me that you tried to make her abort that child -" Odette spat at him, suddenly and unexpectedly seething at what he might have done to the other woman as well as what he had done to her. Odette knew well how persuasive Logan could be when he wanted something.

"What?! No, Odette! I terminated my parental rights and signed a non-disclosure agreement. I legally couldn't tell you," he said, sounding tired and defeated.

"So you just left the great love of your life to deal with having your child without any help? I expected more of you, Logan. You weren't an asshole before we married, but you've turned into your dad, taking what you want without concern for others and only thinking about yourself."

"So you would rather that I had stepped up and taken care of this child, consequences be damned?" Logan asked, not believing what he was hearing.

"I would have preferred that you hadn't slept with her, or at the very least that you'd thought to ensure that you didn't get her pregnant. Is she the only one?"

"Is she the only one what?" Logan asked, suspecting what she had meant but not wanting to go down this road with her. They may not love each other, but she could damn sure always tell when he was lying.

"Is she the only child you've fathered?" Odette asked.

"To my knowledge, yes," Logan answered, breathing a sigh of relief that she hadn't asked what he'd feared.

"Is she the only woman you've cheated on me with?"

Shit. So much for relief.

"Can we just have this conversation tomorrow, Odette?" he sighed, trying to buy some time and hoping she would forget her line of questioning.

"Don't try to stall, Logan Elias Huntzberger. Answer my question!" she shrieked. Truthfully, his lack of response told her everything that she needed to know. Logan simply stared at her silently.

"Damn it, Logan, we promised each other that we wouldn't screw around!" she shrieked, anger radiating off of her. It was going to be a long night.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rory had just changed the sleeping Emma into pajamas and sat down heavily on the couch next to Finn who was yawning and looked exhausted.

"Long night?" she asked, warming up for the coming conversation about what exactly had happened at the restaurant.

"Fantastic night, but I am tired," he chuckled. "Some of those Hartford dads are real jerks."

"What happened?"

Finn recounted the story of meeting Matt and Alex how most of the dads seemed to not want to be there at all.

"Well, not every man can be as amazing as you," Rory whispered as she snuggled further into him. "Now, tell me about dinner." Finn sighed audibly.

"Em and I were at dinner, and Logan and Odette walked by our table. They were prying for information on who Emma was but I managed to shut them down. Then while Odette was telling me goodbye Logan asked Em how old she was and what her mom's name was. Logan muttered "She's my…" and suddenly Odette looked like she'd seen a ghost and demanded that Logan take her home. I'm so sorry, Ror."

"What are you apologizing for, Finn? You didn't do anything wrong, and you couldn't have anticipated this happening. This is all his fault," Rory growled, seething inside. "I need to go give him a piece of my mind!" She jumped up from the couch and walked over toward her purse and keys, but Finn hurried over and intercepted her.

"You need to sleep on it, love. Logan had no right to approach Emma or weasel information out of her, but now isn't the time to have this conversation with him, okay? Let's go sleep on it and we'll discuss it again tomorrow."

Rory looked at Finn and evaluated her options. As badly as she wanted to tear Logan a new one for everything that he'd done since that night she'd conceived Emma, she knew Finn wouldn't let her go over there tonight. She reluctantly agreed and walked back to the couch with him, laying side-by-side and turning on a movie. As she suspected, he was asleep in no time at all. She waited until she was certain that he was sleeping soundly and then carefully extracted herself from his arms. She Googled the address that she needed and scribbled a hurried note, leaving it on the coffee table so he'd be sure to see it if he woke up, and grabbed her purse, phone and keys. She shut and locked the door quietly and walked to her car. This just couldn't wait. She would deal with Finn's anger over her destination tomorrow.

She drove the short distance to the address that Google had provided and knocked on the door angrily. Even from outside, she could hear the yelling that was currently happening inside the house. Had she been less emotional right now she would have realized that Odette would be there, but it was too late for rational thought because a blonde-headed man from her past was already opening the door.

"You had no right!" she ranted angrily as she pushed her way in the door. "You took the coward's way out and terminated any right you have to know **my** daughter when you signed those papers!"

"Could this night get any worse?" Logan muttered under his breath, but the two women still heard him. Unfortunately, the night could indeed get worse.

"If you're just here to yell at me then I assure you that my wife is doing a fine job of that," he shot at Rory.

"Oh no, you don't get to pull the "butt out of my life" card right now, Huntzberger. You could have just walked away in the restaurant, you could have not prodded my daughter for information, and you could have left us alone, but you seem unable to make sound decisions!"

"Isn't that the truth!" Odette agreed. "You've done nothing but disrespect this poor woman since the day that she tried to do the right thing and break things off."

This was all he needed - his ex and his wife both uniting behind the cause of chewing him out.

"You know, she's right! I tried to break things off, but you just weren't able to accept that, were you? So you pulled a Huntzberger and flew over here and ended up knocking me up, which we both share responsibility for, and then you had the nerve to completely shirk your responsibility and leave me to raise Emma alone," Rory screeched.

Logan desperately needed a strong drink, but they had him boxed in. He was going to have to do this stone-cold sober.

"Look, I bought you a house and I send child support every month," Logan defended himself.

"As if that makes it all okay, Logan!" Odette snarled.

"What exactly is going on here?" Logan snapped. "Have I entered the Twilight Zone or something, with my ex and my wife teaming up on me?"

"Are you finished yet?" I asked Rory, hoping to hurry her out of the house. Wrong move.

"No, I'm not finished, you asshole! Stay the hell away from me and my daughter, do you understand me? That girl is my life, and if you mess with her again you won't like the result," Rory warned him angrily.

"And if I get word that you so much as look at them I'll make sure that your life is hell," Odette huffed in agreement. "Rory, do you know a local hotel that I could stay at? I'm not familiar with the area yet, but I don't want to sleep under the same roof as this jerk."

"Sure, you can follow me to one if you'd like," Rory answered.

"Give me five minutes to change and pack a bag," Odette replied.

"I'll wait in my car," Rory answered, slamming the door behind her as she walked out of the mansion.

 _I'm definitely in the Twilight Zone_ , Logan thought to himself.


	16. Chapter 16

Finn was woken abruptly by the ringing of his cell phone. He felt around for it in the dark, eyes not yet open, and held it to his ear.

"Morgan," he answered.

"Finn, what the hell? Can't you control your girlfriend?" Logan ranted. He sounded halfway drunk.

"I'm sorry, mate. What?"

"Your girlfriend, Finn. It's like the damn Twilight Zone. Who would have thought that Rory and Odette would find common ground? Who would think that my wife would leave with my ex-girlfriend? At least only one of them threw their high heels at me," Logan lamented.

"Look, mate, I would say I'm sorry, but you brought this all on yourself. You're the one who slept with Rory and got her pregnant, you're the one who couldn't leave well enough alone and let Emma and I enjoy our evening in peace, and you're the one who tipped your wife off. Rory shouldn't have shown up on your doorstep tonight, and I tried to tell her that, but you really had it coming. You can't have it both ways, Logan. You can't want to be Emma's dad or want to be involved in her life now; you made your choice when you signed those papers and terminated your parental rights."

"How did I get here, Finn?" Logan asked wearily.

"You followed in your father's footsteps. The question now is whether or not you're going to continue down that path or get your shit together," Finn said before hanging up.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rory walked gingerly into her house, hoping not to wake Finn. She didn't wake him, but that was only because he was already sitting on her couch watching her walk in. She braced herself for the coming conversation, not knowing what to expect.

"Hey," she greeted Finn timidly.

"So, I just got off the phone with Logan," Finn sighed.

"I'm sorry, Finn. I just...I've been holding in what I really think about what he's done for so long, and last night was the last straw. I had to confront him."

"So I heard; he was really wound up and kept ranting about the Twilight Zone. He wasn't really making much sense. Care to elaborate?"

"I showed up on his doorstep and heard yelling from inside. Then I yelled at him about his little stunt tonight, and somewhere along the way Odette and I found ourselves both on Team Yell-at-Logan. She didn't want to stay there tonight, so I let her follow me to a hotel and made sure she got checked in. She kept talking about how she should have known that Logan wouldn't be faithful; I guess I wasn't the only one."

"Wow, that's quite a plot twist, kitten," Finn replied quietly.

"Are you mad at me?" Rory asked hesitantly.

"I'm not thrilled that you waited until I fell asleep and snuck out, but I understand why you did it, Rory. I want this to work between us, but we have to be honest with each other. If you'd really insisted on going, I would have accepted that and supported you."

"I'm really, really sorry, Finn. Really, I am," Rory said, tentatively reaching out to touch his hand.

"And I accept your apology, kitten. Now, I need to get home and see if I can get a couple more hours of sleep before the day starts. I'll come back over later and help you with the lawn work and we can hang out if you'd like."

"Or you could just stay. You have clothes here since you usually come over straight after work, and it would be silly to drive home just to come right back."

"Are you sure, love? I don't want to impose."

"You are never an imposition, Finn. Come on, let's go get some sleep," Rory assured him as she took his hand and led her to her bedroom. He'd never spent the night before, but Rory needed to feel close to him tonight, and they only planned on sleeping.


	17. Chapter 17

"Finny," Emma whispered as she shook Finn's shoulder Sunday morning. "Psst...Finny!" she tried again louder. He opened his eyes to see Emma standing next to the bed looking at him.

"Morning, Em. You want to hop in bed with your mom and me?" Finn asked. Emma climbed up and snuggled in next to him.

"Did you and Mommy have a sleepover, Finn?" Emma asked.

"Ummm..yeah," he led awkwardly. "I fell asleep while we were watching a movie and your mom asked me to stay."

"Is that okay with you, Em?" Rory asked sleepily. He hadn't realized that she was awake now.

"I always like having Finny here with us, Mommy. I love him!"

"And I love you, too, sweet girl," Finn said as he kissed the top of her head.

"Do you love Finny, Mommy?" Emma asked innocently. Rory froze for a minute. They weren't anywhere near the I-love-you stage, although she did care for Finn a great deal.

"How about we get up and make some pancakes for Mommy and bring her breakfast in bed?" Finn jumped in, saving Rory from answering Emma's question.

"Yeah!" Emma squealed, jumping out of bed.

"Go play in your room for a couple of minutes while I get up and then we'll get started," Finn told Emma. Emma ran into her room happily.

"Thank you so much, Finn," Rory told him as she snuggled closer to him.

"It's no problem, love. I care about you, but it's far too soon for either of us to think about calling it love," Finn chuckled.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Rory replied with a kiss.

Finn got up and headed to the bathroom to change.

"Hey Ror, do you have an extra toothbrush?" he yelled from the bathroom.

"Under the sink, baby."

Finn grabbed a new toothbrush from under the sink and brushed his teeth before sticking his head out the door back into Rory's room.

"What do you want me to do with the toothbrush?" Finn asked, holding it up for her to see.

"Just put it in the holder; I'm sure this won't be the last time you spend the night," Rory answered easily. Finn put the toothbrush in the holder and then walked to the kitchen, stopping by Emma's room on the way to get her. A few minutes later they both walked back into Rory's bedroom.

"You're out of pancake mix, love. Em and I will just run out and pick up breakfast if that's okay with you. What would you like from that little cafe down the street?"

"Pancakes, bacon and eggs, please?" Rory asked. "You know I could just come with you guys."

"No way," Finn told her firmly. "Em and I want to bring you breakfast in bed, so you're going to stay right there."

"Okay, I'll wait right here," Rory chuckled. Finn and Emma left and Rory sat up in bed, grabbing her phone to check her email and Facebook since she'd been relegated to staying in bed for the time being. She was scrolling through Facebook when her phone beeped with a series of incoming texts from her friend Leslie, who also taught at Chilton. Rory scrolled through the pictures and had breath caught in her throat. After scrolling through the dozen or so pictures, she watched the video that came last, and she couldn't help the tears that began falling from her eyes. Then she giggled when she saw the last text from Leslie.

 _Who's the hot man that was with Em last night? He looked at her like she hung the moon. Please tell me he's straight and available?! -L_

 _His name is Finn, and he's definitely straight and definitely not available. I've actually been seeing him for a few weeks now. He's amazing. -R_

 _OMG, you lucky girl! I'm telling you, every woman there was swooning while they watched him with Emma. He was completely focused on her. You need to hold onto this one, girl! -L_

 _Believe me, I am holding on tight. He's so good to Em and I. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for the pics and video! -R_

Just as Rory finished uploading the pictures and video to Facebook and tagging Finn in them, the front door opened. She heard Finn and Emma in the kitchen and then saw them coming down the hall toward her bedroom.

"Mommy, Finny and I brought you breakfast and flowers!" Emma told Rory excitedly as they walked into the room.

"I see that, baby girl. Thank you guys so much!" Rory told Emma as she hugged her and set the vase of sunflowers on her nightstand.

"And you…" she led, pointing to Finn, "come here." She patted the spot next to her on the bed.

"Yes, love?" he asked as he sat down.

"You are amazing. Thank you so much, Finn. I just...you are so good to Emma and I. I can't even put into words how important you are to us," she told him as she kissed him sweetly.

"Did I do something to merit that sweet declaration?" Finn asked confused. Rory just picked up her phone and handed it to him, showing him the pictures and video.

"I had no idea anyone was taking pictures," Finn said sheepishly.

"And that makes it even better, Finn. You weren't doing it for show; you were doing it because you love Em."

"Well, you're both very special ladies," Finn said as he blushed. "Now, let's eat before breakfast gets cold!"

They ate their breakfast together as Emma told her mom all about the previous evening in her own words. She went on and on about how much she had with "her Finn" and how she couldn't wait for her next date with Finn. Just as they were finishing their breakfast, Rory's phone rang.

"Gilmore house of happy Sunday mornings, how may I direct your call?" she answered cheekily.

"Loin fruit! How are my two favorite girls?" Lorelai asked her.

"We're great, Mom. You'll have to go look at the pictures and video I just uploaded to Facebook after we get off the phone. Finn took Emma to the Chilton father-daughter dance last night, and they had a great time."

"Whoa, that's big, kiddo. So things are still going well there?"

"Things are great, Mom," Rory said happily.

"I'm so happy for you, Ror. Listen, Luke and I wanted to go out to dinner in Hartford tonight. Do you think you could watch Will for us? It would only be for a couple of hours."

"Of course! Just bring him over. What time will you drop him off?"

"We'll drop him off around 6:00 so we're not out too late. Thank you so much, sweetheart."

"No problem, Mom. I'll see you later today. Love you!"

"Love you too, Ror!"

Rory hung up and turned to Emma.

"Will is going to come over and see us tonight, Em," Rory told Emma.

"Really? Yay!" Emma squealed. "I'm going to go get my toys ready for him to come over, Mommy!" Emma ran into her room excitedly. Finn looked over at Rory and noticed the pensive look on her face.

"Something on your mind, kitten?"

"No, not really. I just...would it be weird for me to call and check on Odette today? She doesn't have anyone here, and I know that she could probably use someone on her side."

"And you're willing to do that, despite your shared history?" Finn asked Rory.

"Yeah, I am," Rory answered resolutely.

"You are one hell of a woman, Rory Gilmore. Here, use my phone - I have her number in there. Hopefully she'll answer since she has my number in her phone, too. I'll go play with Em while you talk to her," Finn told her as he handed her his cell phone.

"Thank you, baby," Rory said, kissing him as he stood up. She held the phone nervously and scrolled through the contacts. Finding Odette's number, she pressed the call button before she could change her mind.

"Finn?" Odette answered uncertainly. "Is everything okay?"

"Actually, Odette, this is Rory," Rory stated hesitantly.

"Oh, Rory. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. I just...I wanted to check on you, see how you were doing."

"You did?" Odette asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I know you don't have any friends or family here, and I know what it feels like to be cheated on. Just thought that you might need some support."

"Wow, that's very kind of you. I really appreciate that, Rory."

"So, how are you doing?" Rory asked again.

"I've been better. I talked to my dad, and he's going to have divorce papers drawn up for me. I won't be married to a man who lies and cheats. Thanks to the prenup we'll both walk away with what we came into the marriage with. It's a bad situation, but I'm honestly tired of it all. He has turned into his father, and I don't deserve that."

"No, you really don't," Rory reassured her. "Are you going to stay in Hartford?"

"I haven't decided yet. I probably will for a while, at least. I already hired movers to pack and move all of my stuff, and Daddy is taking care of getting me an apartment here for now."

"That's really good, Odette. Listen, I know that this might be weird, but I'm here anytime you need someone to talk to, or even just to listen. Finn and Emma and I are just doing some yard work today and hanging around the house; if you don't feel like being alone you're welcome to come by."

"You know, that would be nice," Odette answered.

"Why don't you come by around 1:00 and we'll have lunch ready? I'll text you my phone number and address," Rory offered.

"I'll see you for lunch. Thank you, Rory. Your kindness really means a lot," Odette finished before hanging up. Rory sent the promised text and walked to Emma's room to find Emma and Finn. Finn saw her standing in the door and went out to the hall to talk with her. She filled Finn in on her conversation and Odette's impending visit for lunch before they all went out to work in the yard for the rest of the morning.


	18. Chapter 18

After a couple of hours of yard work that devolved into a water gun fight where Finn and Emma teamed up against Rory, Rory jumped in the shower to freshen up before Odette arrived for lunch. She knew that most people would say that she was crazy for inviting Odette over, but she couldn't bring herself to let Odette deal with Logan's infidelity on her own. Finn had marinated steaks while Rory showered, and then Rory prepped some squash, asparagus and potatoes to grill while Finn showered. Rory took a few deep breaths to calm herself when the doorbell rang and then greeted Odette.

"Odette, I'm so glad you found the house okay. Come in," Rory told her.

"Thank you for having me, Rory. I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Odette replied sincerely.

"No, not at all. Finn just started the grill and Emma is playing in the backyard. Before we go out there, I just wanted to mention that I really don't want Emma to know that Logan is her father. I had a father who was rarely present in my life, and I don't want that for her. Since he terminated his rights, he made that decision for me."

"I understand, Rory, and I won't mention anything," Odette assured her kindly.

"Thank you so much. Are you okay with meeting her?" Rory asked.

"Of course. She seems like a lovely girl."

"Okay then, let's grab a bottle of wine and some glasses from the kitchen and head out to the back patio with Finn and Emma."

"Does Finn live here?" Odette asked.

"No, he doesn't. He and I have been seeing each other for about a month, and he's over a lot, but we don't live together."

The two ladies walked to the kitchen to retrieve the wine and glasses and walked out to the backyard where Emma was playing while Finn was putting the steaks and veggies on the grill.

"Odette, it's lovely to see you," Finn greeted cordially.

"You as well, Finn. I want to apologize for Logan's behavior at dinner last night."

"No apology necessary from you, Odette. You didn't do anything wrong," Finn reassured her.

Just as Finn spoke, Emma came running over to the group of adults.

"Didn't I see you at the restaurant last night?" Emma asked Odette curiously. "You were with the guy who was asking me questions."

"Yes, you did. My name is Odette."

"Finny, if she's a stranger, why is she at our house?" she asked, thinking back to Finn's warning not to talk to strangers the previous night.

"Well, she's a stranger to you, but I know her, Em," Finn chuckled.

"Then why did you tell me I shouldn't talk to strangers when I talked to her last night?" Finn just shrugged and looked to Rory.

"Em, Finn just meant that you should wait until one of us introduces you to someone before you start talking to them," Rory finally offered, ending the conversation.

"Okay, Mommy," Emma agreed before running back out into the yard to play.

"How are you holding up?" Rory asked Odette after Emma was out of earshot again.

"I'm doing okay. I'm angry, but I'm not heartbroken. We didn't marry because we loved each other, which is fortunate. I can't imagine how I would feel if I was in love with him."

"I want you to know that I'm incredibly sorry about what happened between Logan and I in New Hampshire, Odette. I really did break it off when I found out that you had moved in, and I had no intention of ever seeing him again. That doesn't excuse what we did that weekend, and I take responsibility for my part."

"I'm not upset with you, Rory. We were both seeing other people before I moved in, so you weren't in the wrong then. I know how persuasive he can be when he wants something. There are no hard feelings," Odette reassured her.

"Thank you, really. Has your dad been able to find a place for you yet?"

"Yes, he made some phone calls and found an apartment a couple of miles from here, actually, and my belongings will be delivered and unpacked tomorrow. Daddy thinks that it's best that I stay here until the divorce proceedings are over."

"Well, you're always welcome here," Rory reassured her. At that moment, Odette's phone rang. She glanced at it and hit the ignore button quickly.

"Logan's been calling all day, and from the sound of his messages he's drunk and quite angry. Finn, if you happen to talk to him please don't tell him where I'm staying. I also won't be mentioning to him that I'm in contact with you or Rory; the last thing you three need is Logan showing up here to look for me."

"Thank you, Odette. That's very considerate of you."

As they finished their conversation, Finn removed their lunch from the grill and conversation lightened as they all ate their lunch. Emma happily told Odette all about Finn taking her to the father-daughter dance, and Rory couldn't help but notice Finn blushing as Emma raved about how sweet Finn was and how much fun she had with him.

As they were talking, Finn's phone was the next to ding with a text notification. He took one glance at the message and make a quick decision.

"Hey Ror, is it okay if I put Odette's car in the garage? Logan is texting asking if you and I are here, and I wouldn't put it past him to drive by since he has your address."

"Of course," Rory reassured him. Finn took Odette's keys, kissed Rory quickly, and walked through the house to move Odette's car.

"How did you two start dating?" Odette asked curiously.

"Finn and his niece Ava ran into Em and I at the zoo about a month ago. Finn didn't know about Emma, and he was a little upset that the rest of the Yale gang hadn't been able to be there for me through my pregnancy and Emma's life. He started spending time with Em and me, and then he watched Em for me for a couple of days when she was sick, and it just kind of naturally developed from there."

"He seems to really care for you both," Odette said, almost enviously.

"He really does. Sometimes I have to pinch myself. I'm just trying not to pull a Rory and get scared and run," Rory chuckled.

"Hopefully someday I'll find that," Odette said wistfully.

"I'm sure you will," Rory soothed her.


	19. Chapter 19

Will and Lorelai burst through Rory's front door right on time Saturday night, and he was bursting with typical three-year energy. He flew straight into Rory's arms when he saw her.

"Sissy!" he squealed as she picked him up.

"Hey there, buddy. Are you excited to play with Emma tonight?" Rory asked. Will nodded and then buried his head in Rory's shoulder shyly.

"Who that?" he asked, pointing to Finn.

"That is Finn. And you know what? He loves to play cars. Do you know anyone else who loves to play cars?"

"Me!" he answered excitedly as he squirmed out of Rory's arms and walked over to Finn hesitantly. Finn handed Will a couple of cars and allowed Will to pull him down into the floor to play. Lorelai looked on with a smile as Finn focused on entertaining her son.

"Oh, he's good, Ror. First the father daughter dance and now playing cars with your little brother. Please tell me you're planning on keeping him," Lorelai teased.

"I have no intentions of getting rid of him. We've already grown pretty attached," Rory chuckled.

"Good. Well, we will be back in a couple of hours. Thank you for watching him, sweets."

"No problem, Mom. You guys have fun," Rory told her mom as she shooed her out the door and walked to the kitchen to work on dinner.

Given that she had two kids to feed, she opted for an easy dinner of chicken nuggets and homemade mac and cheese. After Rory had found out that she was pregnant with Emma she had asked Sookie to help her learn how to cook, and while she would never be a chef, she could hold her own in the kitchen now.

After dinner and more play time for all four of them, Lorelai and Luke picked up a sleeping Will up and Rory tucked Emma into bed and Finn and Rory sat down on the couch for a few minutes before he left for his own house.

"I don't know how you do It, kitten," Finn said as he plopped down.

"Do what?"

"I don't know how you raise Em on your own. I never realized just how much work it is being a single mom."

"It's hard, but it's worth it," Rory mused. "Sure, I would love for my daughter to have a dad who lived here with us and did all the dad things, but Logan couldn't have been that man. My dad was an absentee father for most of my life, and I don't want that for Em. I would rather her not know that heartbreak of wondering why she wasn't a priority for him."

"I can see your point," Finn said thoughtfully. "She deserves better than Logan."

"She really does. It was hard at first, emotionally, but it didn't take long for me to realize that we're better off without him."

"You deserve better too, Rory. You deserve help," Finn said emphatically.

"I have my family, and I have you. You've been so amazing to us, Finn. And I have Jess, even though his life is kind of crazy right now and we don't get to see him very often."

"I hope you know that I'm here for you anytime, love. I love spending time with you and Emma."

" I do know that, and we love spending time with you too," Rory replied as she yawned.

"You need to get to bed. Come on, I''ll tuck you in and then let myself out."

"You drive a hard bargain, Morgan, but I can't turn down my boyfriend tucking me in," Rory said with a laugh.

Rory walked to her bedroom and grabbed her pajamas before ducking into the bathroom to get ready for bed. When she walked in her bedroom, Finn scooted her into her bed and kissed her soundly.

"Goodnight, beautiful," he whispered.

"Goodnight, handsome," Rory whispered back as she blushed at Finn's compliment.

"Sleep tight. I'll talk to you tomorrow," Finn told her as he kissed her on the forehead, cheeks, and lips once more before turning off her light and letting himself out.

xxxxxxxxxx

After the chaotic weekend, Rory was relieved to get back into their normal routine of school and work on Monday. As she walked into her classroom to get settled for the day, she was surprised to see a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for her on her desk. She picked up her phone and dialed Finn's number.

"Morgan," came his voice.

"Gilmore," she parroted, and she immediately heard Finn chuckle.

"Good morning, love."

"Morning, baby. So, I walked into my classroom this morning to find that my boyfriend had sent me an arrangement of the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen."

"Sounds like a thoughtful guy," Finn retorted.

"He definitely is. But he seems to have forgotten that he and my daughter brought me flowers just yesterday when they brought me breakfast in bed."

"Or perhaps he just thought that you needed to start your birthday week with flowers at home and at school," he proposed.

"He is quite considerate. Frankly, I'm pretty crazy about him," Rory whispered conspiratorially.

"Well, I hear he's pretty crazy about you too," Finn whispered back.

"Well, if you talk to him tell him thank you from me and that I''ll see him tonight," Rory said with a giggle.

"Will do, love. Have a great day," Finn replied before he disconnected the call. He was determined to make Rory's birthday week special for her.


	20. Chapter 20

Rory awoke Tuesday morning to the smell of coffee and food. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up confused. Walking into the living room, she could see that the dining room table was set for breakfast and there was a delicious breakfast spread and coffee on the table. She walked over to the table and picked up the note that was placed on the table.

 _I thought my girls would enjoy a hot breakfast this morning. I wish I could have stayed after sneaking in so I could set this up, but I have an early meeting. Enjoy day two of your birthday week! Bundle up today - the temps dropped quite a bit overnight. It's cold outside! I'll see you tonight. -Finn_

On Wednesday, a case of gourmet K-Cups were delivered to Rory at Chilton, along with a new travel mug that Rory had been drooling over. On Thursday, Finn brought lunch to Rory at school and they enjoyed a picnic in the courtyard, and then Finn sent her for a massage after school while Emma went to work with him. She'd never had a birthday week quite like this.

Rory walked into the teacher's lounge on Friday morning and found that a small crowd of some of the other teachers who she was friends with waiting to see what "the hot, sweet boyfriend", as the other teachers had dubbed him, had up his sleeve for that day. Rory laughed as they all asked her questions about what she, Finn and Emma had done the previous evening and what they were doing that day.

"I don't know, guys. You'll just have to wait and see," she chuckled. "All I know is that he told me not to make any plans for tonight."

School released for the weekend, and Rory was surprised to see Lorelai walking into her classroom the minute the bell rang.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Is that any way to greet your beautiful Mommy who has come to pick up your daughter so that you can go on a date with your boyfriend?" Lorelai asked in mock outrage.

"I didn't make any plans for Emma to stay with you," Rory replied, still a bit confused.

"No, but Finn did, my dear. Apparently you two are going out tonight to do something to celebrate your birthday, and Emma is going to stay with us until you guys come to the Hollow tomorrow for your birthday party."

"He did?" Rory asked, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

"He did, sweets. He said to tell you that he will pick you up at 6:00 sharp, you should pack an overnight bag, and he wanted to make sure you knew that he would feed you," Lorelai chuckled. "Smart man, knowing that he needs to feed the Gilmore girls often."

"He is," Rory replied as she laughed, and then her face fell. "Oh my gosh! Mom, what am I supposed to wear? I don't even know where we're going!"

"Calm down, kiddo. It's getting colder outside, hence the coat and gloves I'm wearing, so wear those new dark blue low rise jeans we bought the last time we went shopping with your light pink sweater and your brown boots. It will be perfect."

"You're sure that's not too casual?"

"Rory, honey, Mommy knows where you're going. It will be perfect. Finn won't be able to wait to take it off of you," Lorelai joked.

"Mom! We haven't gone there yet," Rory said sternly.

"Why not? Have you seen how gorgeous your boyfriend is?"

"We've been taking it slow, Mom. I really don't want to mess this up," Rory lamented.

"It's obvious he's crazy about you, Ror, and it sure looks like you're crazy about him. Am I right?"

"Yeah," Rory replied, her smile slowly returning as she thought about how good Finn was to her and Emma.

"And he loves Em," Lorelai added, furthering her point.

"Yeah," Rory said as her smile grew even more.

"Are you attracted to him?"

"Have you seen him, Mom?" Rory asked as she began laughing again. "I'd have to be blind not to be attracted to him. He is one incredibly nice looking man."

"Do you want Mommy's opinion?" Lorelai asked. Rory just nodded. "You're not going to ruin anything if you sleep with him tonight. Stop on the way home and buy some new lingerie to wear under that outfit just in case you find yourself in the position for him to see it, and relax and enjoy yourself tonight."

"You're right. I'm not going to overthink this. I"m just going to enjoy the evening out with my amazing boyfriend and I'll know if it's right."

"Atta girl, Ror! Alright, I'm going to grab Emma. You guys have fun tonight. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Lorelai said with a wink as she walked out of Rory's classroom.

Rory grabbed her things and locked her classroom door before driving to Le Perla. She selected a blue lacy bra and panty set that would make her feel comfortable but desireable and hurried home to start getting ready for her night out. She put the finishing touches on her loosely curled hair and light makeup a few minutes before 6:00 and went to the closet to get out her pea coat, scarf and gloves. There had been quite a cold snap that week, and she was suddenly grateful that they'd chosen to rake the leaves the previous weekend before it got too cold. Finn rang the doorbell promptly at 6:00 and Rory opened up the door with a laugh.

"You know that you have a key, right? You don't have to ring the doorbell."

"And if I wasn't picking you up for a date, I would have used my key, but a gentleman simply must pick date up at the front door," he said in his best stuffy society voice before softening and smiling at her. "Happy birthday, love," he told her genuinely as he pulled her to him and embraced her in a hug.

"Let me grab my purse and I'll be ready to go. And thank you, baby. It's been quite the birthday week," she added with a grin. Finn helped Rory into her coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck, pulling her close to him and kissing her soundly as he did, and then she grabbed her gloves and purse while he grabbed her overnight bag and they were out the door.

"For you, milady," Finn told her as he opened her door to his SUV. He helped her into the seat and closed the door behind her before walking to the driver's side and situating himself.

"Any chance you'll tell me where we're going?" she asked in mock impatience as he backed out of the driveway.

"Not even a tiny chance, love. All I will tell you is that I have planned tonight meticulously with your likes in mind, and I think you will love it."

"Well, if your gifts the rest of the week are any indication, you certainly do seem to know me well," Rory conceded, giving up on getting any details out of him. They talked about their days and plans for the weekend on the drive, and before Rory knew it they were entering New Haven. Just a few minutes later, they pulled up to her favorite taco place.

"You're taking me to Hector's?" she asked excitedly.

"I'm taking you to Hector's," Finn confirmed with a chuckle.

"You _are_ the best boyfriend ever!" Rory exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses.

"All it takes to be the best boyfriend ever is tacos?" Finn teased.

"Nope, not tacos. Knowing that your girlfriend would like this so much more than some stuffy 5-star restaurant."

"And I love that about you," Finn told her as he helped her out of the car and they walked into the restaurant.

After Rory and Finn ate an impressive number of tacos, the restaurant staff brought out a churro tower with a single birthday candle in the middle and sang Happy Birthday to Rory, much to her chagrin. She blushed as she blew out her candle and made her secret birthday wish. After sharing her birthday dessert, Finn helped her back into the car to head to their next destination. He had made sure that there wouldn't be any signage that would give away the surprise. He pulled up in front of a club that appeared to be preparing for a concert.

As they walked into the club, he covered her eyes with his hands and steered her to their destination. After looking around to ensure that everything was in place, he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Are you ready for your big surprise, love?"

"Yes!" she practically squealed.

"Alright, here you go," he said as he removed his hands from her eyes and wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind, waiting for her to take in the scene in front of her.

"Oh my...it's...I can't believe...how?" she finally settled on.

"Just a little bit of Morgan magic, kitten," Finn chuckled. She turned around and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight and kissing him sweetly. When she turned back around she squealed.

"Lane!"

The two friends ran toward each other, meeting in a jumping, happy hug in the middle of the room that would soon be packed with concert-goers.

"I had no idea you had a show in New Haven! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because the whole thing is a surprise from your amazing boyfriend," Lane chuckled.

"He made this concert happen?" she asked in awe.

"He did," Lane confirmed. Rory returned to Finn and kissed him for all he was worth, leaving him breathless.

"You really are amazing, Finn. Thank you so much. I don't know anyone else who would have thought to do this for me," she whispered against his lips.

"I'd do anything for you, Ror," he whispered back sincerely just before the doors opened.

She and Finn quickly claimed a table at the front and ordered drinks to enjoy before the concert began. When Hep Alien started playing, Rory squealed and drug Finn to the front right next to the stage, jumping and singing along and having the time of her life. Toward the end of the set, Lane addressed the crowd.

"You have been amazing tonight, New Haven! Now, Hep Alien would like to say a very special "happy birthday" to my best friend since kindergarten, Rory Gilmore!" she exclaimed as the crowd all chorused in with a cacophony of "happy birthdays". "Our last song tonight is a special request from Finn to Rory. We've made this song our own, because country isn't really our thing, but we hope you love it. Rory, this is for you!" Lane clicked the band off as they began to play a rock ballad tune that Rory had never heard before. As they began playing, Finn turned her around in his arms and pulled her close to him, swaying to the music with her, and when Zach started singing she heard Finn's surprisingly delicious singing voice in her ear.

 _She got a smile that makes your worst day  
Feel like it's your birthday  
She's got a laugh like confetti  
Would change her name if she'd let me  
She's got a way of changing the game  
The way that you play is never the same_

Rory's breath hitched as she listened to the words Finn was singing to her, and she melted into his embrace.

 _Ride around, windows down, yeah, with the radio  
(She's the kind that makes you wanna)  
Drop your plans, drop a grand, hell where the money goes  
She make you wanna fight for her  
She make you wanna die for her, yeah  
She make you wanna fall  
Make you want it all, make you wanna call  
She make you wanna die for her_

Finn pulled her flush against him and stroked her cheek lovingly as he continued to sing to her, his eyes showing his sincerity and emotion.

 _The way that she moves is like a soft glow  
Flicker of a candle  
She turns my cool into disaster  
Heart is pumping faster  
She's head to toe, body and soul  
So beautiful, she don't even know  
Ride around, windows down, yeah, with the radio  
(She's the kind that makes you wanna)  
Drop your plans, drop a grand, hell where the money goes  
She make you wanna fight for her  
She make you wanna die for her, yeah  
She make you wanna fall  
Make you want it all, make you wanna call  
She make you wanna die for her, yeah  
She make you wanna die for her, yeah  
For her I would walk a straight line  
Wear out the soles of my shoes for her_

Finn placed his palms on either side of Rory's face, wiping her tears with his thumbs, and kissed her gently before continuing, looking her directly in the eye as he sang the next lines.

 _I would run through the night  
Just to kiss her one more time  
If she wanted me to  
Ride around, windows down, yeah, with the radio  
(She's the kind that makes you wanna)  
Drop your plans, drop a grand, hell where the money goes  
She make you wanna fight for her  
She make you wanna die for her, yeah  
She make you wanna fall  
Make you want it all, make you wanna call  
She make you wanna die for her, yeah  
She make you wanna die for her, yeah_

Both Rory and Finn were so overcome with emotion that they simply clung to each other, lost in this perfect moment.

"Are you ready to go to the hotel, love?" he finally whispered. Rory simply nodded and led him out the door and to his SUV, never breaking contact with his body. Before he opened her door for her, he embraced her one more time before tipping her chin up so that their eyes met.

"I want you to know that I expect nothing tonight, Rory. We've shared a bed before, and that's all I'm planning for tonight. Okay?"

"Okay," Rory confirmed.

They drove the few blocks to the hotel, which was apparently one of the Morgan family holdings, and as Finn helped her out of the car she stopped him suddenly.

"Wait!" she cried.

"What is it, love?" he asked, confused.

"Can you smell it?" she asked, spinning around with her arms spread wide and her nose in the air. Finn thought he'd never seen her look so adorable and carefree.

"Smell what?" he asked as he laughed.

"It's about to snow, Finn!" she gushed.

"Ror, there's no snow in the forecast," Finn told her.

"Ah, but it's going to snow. Just wait for it," she told him, and sure enough, within a minute, light flurries began to fall softly.

"Good things happen when it snows, Finn," she whispered with a genuine smile.

"Good things happen when it snows," he confirmed as he pulled her into his arms and they spun and laughed in the snow.

"I think it's time for some...other...good things," Rory said seductively as she pulled Finn into the hotel. "Take me to our room, gorgeous."

"Why, Miss Gilmore!" Finn teased as he pressed the elevator for the top floor. They arrived in the penthouse suite and Finn opened the door. Their bags had already been brought up by the concierge. No sooner than the door shut behind them, Rory wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a searing kiss.

"There's just one more thing I want for my birthday," she whispered when they broke the kiss.

"What's that, love?" Finn asked breathlessly.

"You," Rory answered as she walked toward the bedroom. "And there might be a little surprise for you under this outfit."

"Are you sure, Ror? I don't want you to regret anything."

"I promise that I won't regret this, Finn. I could never regret being with you."

That was all he needed to hear before following her to the bedroom, shutting the door behind them. He turned on some soft music and they enjoyed each other slowly and sensuously before falling asleep in a tangle of limbs.

Words to the song belong to Chris Lane's "For Her"


	21. Chapter 21

"Happy birthday!" Lorelai, Luke, Emma and Will exclaimed excitedly as Finn and Rory walked in the door of the Crap Shack Saturday morning. People would soon begin arriving for Rory's Stars Hollow birthday bash.

"You guys do know that my birthday was yesterday, right?" Rory chuckled as Emma ran across the room. She quickly picked her up and hugged her while Finn kissed Emma on the top of the head.

"Minor detail," Lorelai dismissed quickly. "We're finishing this birthday week strong."

"It has been a great week," Rory said with a broad smile, looking up at Finn sweetly. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him in order to give her a chaste kiss.

"You two are disgustingly sweet, and I think it's fabulous," Lorelai told them both just as more people began arriving.

Before she knew it, the house was full of family and friends who had come to celebrate her 38th birthday in true Gilmore style, complete with a pink feather boa and a birthday crown. As Rory looked around the room to see all of the people who had gathered in her honor, she was acutely aware of someone who was not there.

"Hey Mom," Rory began quietly after pulling Lorelai into a quiet corner, "did you guys invite Jess?"

"Yeah, he should be here soon. I think he had something going on at Truncheon this morning that he had to take care of before he headed this way."

"Good," Rory said uncertainly. "Emma and I haven't seen him in weeks, and I was afraid he wouldn't make it."

"Is everything okay there?" Lorelai prodded.

"Yeah, as far as I know. He's just been busy with getting the new location up and running, I think."

Rory walked away, effectively ending the conversation, and returned to her birthday party. Everyone was enjoying food prepared by Luke and Sookie when Jess finally walked through the door.

"Uncle Jess! I've missed you!" Emma squealed as she ran into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"I've missed you too, half-pint. How's my girl?"

"I'm good. It's Mommy's birthday party!"

"I know, that's why we're here," Jess chuckled. "Where is your mom?"

"In the kitchen," she replied happily before jumping down and going back to playing with the kids.

Jess proceeded to the kitchen and stopped abruptly when he saw Rory standing there, wrapped up in Finn's arms as they whispered to each other. He made a sudden course correction and turned back toward the living room, having no desire to see the two of them together. He snuck out the front door and out onto the front porch, already wanting to avoid the lunatics that resided in the kooky town. About half an hour later, Luke came out looking for him.

"Hey, Rory's about to open gifts and then we're going to have cake. You coming?"

"Yea," was the only reply Jess offered as he followed his uncle back into the thick of the party, sitting awkwardly on the outskirts of the celebration.

"You all know that I said presents weren't necessary this year," Rory mock scolded the crowd, "but for those of you who can't seem to follow directions, I'll open them now," she finished, earning chuckles from the room.

Rory opened her very own garden gnome from Babette and Morey, a very generous check from her Grandma Emily, and a monkey lamp from her mom before moving to Finn's gift. She narrowed her eyes and stared him down.

" _You_ have done enough already this week, mister," she informed him sternly.

"Just open it before you get all upset. I promise that it wasn't expensive; it's just something small that I wanted you to have," Finn replied, trying to hide the smile from spreading across his face. He'd had it custom-made for her, and while it was true that it wasn't expensive, it was very meaningful to him. He hoped she would share the same sentiment.

Rory gingerly tore the wrapping paper off and opened the box, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the contents. She looked across the room at Finn and locked eyes with him. The whole room was silent watching the exchange between the two.

"This is...wow. I don't even know what to say. Will you put it on me?" she asked him. He nodded and crossed the room to her, wiping the tears that were forming in her eyes before taking it out of the box. He fastened the necklace and kissed the nape of her neck gently and then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. She turned in his arms and kissed him sweetly.

"It's perfect, Finn. Thank you so much."

"Alright, kids, care to share with the class?" Lorelai asked, interrupting their moment. "The rest of us can't see the gift or what earned that kind of reaction." Lorelai never was good with being subtle or patient.

"It's kind of a long story. Finn arranged for Hep Alien to play at a club in New Haven last night, and he had them dedicate a song from him to me. It was just this really sweet moment that you had to be there for," Rory gushed.

"The charm on the necklace is a sterling silver guitar pick that has the name of the song, "For Her" engraved on the front and last night's date on the back," Finn finished for her.

All of the women could be heard with their collective "oohs" and "aahs" as Rory blushed at the attention.

"Oh, he's good, sugar," Babette proclaimed to the entire room.

"That he is, Babette," Rory beamed. Neither saw how uncomfortable the dark-headed man sitting in the corner looked.

After presents, cake was served, and before Rory knew it, the last of the guests had filtered out of the house, leaving only the Gilmore-Danes clan, Jess, Rory and Finn. Rory pulled out her messenger bag and retrieved a large envelope from them.

"I almost forgot that I promised I would bring the pictures and video from last weekend." Rory said as she pulled out the contents and handed the photos to her mom before walking to the DVD player. She put the DVD in and grabbed the remote off of the coffee table.

"Oh my gosh, these turned out so great!" Lorelai raved, looking at the pictures of Finn and Emma from the father-daughter dance. Luke and Jess looked over her shoulder at the pictures that she was making a fuss over.

"Well, Em and I had a great time. There's a set of all of the pictures in there for you too, Lorelai," Finn replied sheepishly. Sure, he was accustomed to being the center of attention, but not necessarily in situations like this. He didn't see that he'd done anything all that special; he'd just done what came naturally for Emma.

"You are too good, Aussie. Look at you, taking such great care of my girls," Lorelai beamed. "You totally got lucky with this one, Ror."

"I think I'm the lucky one," Finn chuckled.

Jess just shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to say, and Rory pressed play on the DVD after they'd finished looking at the pictures. The video faded in with the title "Chilton Academy 2021 Father Daughter Dance", and soon video of the festivities began showing on the television. Rory was fully engrossed in watching the video when she noticed Jess walking into the kitchen looking broody.

"I'm just gonna go check on him," she said full of concern as she got up and walked to the the kitchen to join Jess.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked quietly. "You seem like something's bothering you."

"You're asking me if I'm okay? That's really rich, Gilmore," he snapped.

"Hey, I have no idea what I've done to you so if you're expecting an apology you're going to have to clue me in as to what my offense is," she shot back.

"Do the last five years means nothing to you? I would have certainly thought that if you needed someone to take Emma to a father-daughter event you would have asked Luke or me long before you asked the new boyfriend," he hissed, not managing to hide the venom in his voice.

"Whoa, you stop right there. First of all, I didn't ask Finn to take Emma. He saw the flyer when he picked Em up from school and _he_ asked _me_ if he could take her, and she was over-the-moon about it. Second of all, you have gone radio silent for the last few weeks. I've called and texted, but I haven't heard a word from you, so don't blame this on me. I didn't do anything wrong here," she stated emphatically.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand," Jess replied snidely.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You always have been oblivious, haven't you? I've been the one there for you and Emma for the last five years, and suddenly rich Aussie in there walks through the door and you jump into his arms."

"Outside, now! We are not doing this in front of Emma," Rory barked out.

"Fine!" Jess replied as he walked out the back door with Rory right behind him.

"What the hell is your problem here, Jess? There's more than enough room for both of you in our lives!" Rory yelled angrily.

"No, there really isn't, Rory. Not like I want to be in your life."

"And again I'll ask, what is the supposed to mean?"

"God, you are blind! I've been here the whole time, knowing that you weren't ready to let anyone in yet, and then when I'm busy for a few weeks you decide that you're ready and and fall right into bed with him!" he replied exasperatedly.

"It's not like that at all! You have no idea what's going on with Finn and me, but I assure you that I didn't just fall into bed with him. And how the hell was I supposed to know that you were pining away for me, biding your time? You've been dating other girls this whole time!" she managed to get out through her anger.

"None of them mattered," he barked out bitterly.

"Oh, and that makes it so much better!" Rory retorted.

"You know what? I can't do this anymore."

"Can't do what anymore?" Rory asked as fear began gripping her.

"All of it. Being friends with you, and being involved in yours and Emma's lives while he's here."

"You can't be serious?!" she cried, her anger coming to a head.

"This isn't what I signed up for."

"I'm pretty sure you signed up for being my best friend and a stable influence in my daughter's life, so it looks like it's exactly what you signed up for."

"Yeah well, things change," Jess sighed as he began to walk around the side of the house.

"If you think you're just going to waltz in and out of my daughter's life like Christopher did mine, you've got another thing coming. I won't let you do that to my daughter!"

"Then consider me out," Jess yelled back as he disappeared around the house. She heard a car door slam and tires peeling out a minute later.

Suddenly the tears that had been threatening to fall materialized and she couldn't hold herself together anymore. She wrapped her arms around herself, almost as though trying to protect herself from anymore emotional pain, and walked through the door back into the house. Lorelai took one look at her and was immediately at her side, gathering her into her arms.

"What happened, sweets? Where's Jess?" Lorelai asked.

"He left."

"He what? Is he coming back?" Lorelai asked.

"No, he's gone for good. He said that this wasn't what he signed up for, and when I pointed out to him that he couldn't just waltz in and out of our lives he said he was out and he left," Rory sobbed.

"Oh, kiddo. I'm so sorry," Lorelai said as she comforted Rory.

"I'll kill him myself," Luke growled.

"Uncle Jess is gone?" Emma asked tearfully.

"I'm so sorry, baby," Rory apologized.

"Because he's mad at me?" Emma asked pitifully.

"No, baby. Uncle Jess didn't leave because he's mad at you, I promise. You didn't do anything to make him leave."

Finn walked across the room to envelope Rory and Emma in his arms, but much to his surprise, Emma pushed him away and walked into Rory's old room, slamming the door behind her.


	22. Chapter 22

"I guess I'd better go check on her," Rory said as she dried her eyes and followed Emma. She found the four-year old sitting in the floor in a heap of tears. Rory sat down next to Emma and pulled her into her lap.

"I'm so sorry, baby girl," Rory told Emma as she rocked her soothingly.

"Why did Uncle Jess leave, Mommy?"

"I'm not really sure, baby. He was upset with me, and sometimes people make bad decisions when they're upset." Truthfully, Rory still didn't understand it herself, or maybe she just didn't want to believe it. Unfortunately, she had almost grown to expect men to walk away from her, between her dad, Jess's multiple dramatic exits, and Logan's ultimatum at graduation.

"Will Grandpa Luke leave me, too?" Emma whispered.

"No, baby. He'll never leave you. He's your family, and family is forever," Rory reassured her.

"What about Finn? Will he get mad and leave?" Emma asked quietly.

"Finn loves you, Em," Rory reminded Emma, but perhaps she was also reminding herself. Suddenly her chest felt tight.

"So did Uncle Jess," Emma replied dejectedly, a new batch of tears falling. "What if they all left while we were in here?"

"They wouldn't do that, baby. Come on, let's go back out there and I'll show you."

"Mommy?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"What happens when Finn leaves?"

Rory's heart broke in a thousand pieces when she heard her daughter's question, which had also been playing in her mind since the moment Jess walked out.

"I don't know," Rory whispered, more to herself than to Emma. She'd never been enough for a man to stay in the past, and suddenly she felt as though it was only a matter of time until the next one left.

Rory scooped Emma up and walked back into the living room where Luke and Lorelai immediately began trying to help soothe Emma's sobs. Finn watched from where he was standing, unsure as to what he should do. He wanted to be there for both of them, but between Emma's reaction to him trying to hug her earlier and the look on Rory's face he got the distinct feeling that he was not wanted. He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets before gingerly taking a step toward them, but his heart broken when he saw Emma flinch as he approached.

"Why don't you two girls stay here tonight and we'll wallow?" Lorelai offered. "We can teach Emma how to deal with heartbreak like a Gilmore."

"Yeah, that would be a good idea," Rory replied half-heartedly. "Can you take her for a minute? I just...I need to...I've gotta get out of here."

Rory shifted Emma to Lorelai's waiting arms and ran out of the house before anyone else could move. Finn was the first to speak.

"I'm going to try to find her. Any idea where she might be?" he asked the other adults.

"Check the bridge," Lorelai replied, giving him directions on how to find it.

He took off after her and caught up to her quickly with his much longer stride. She finally came to a stop at the aforementioned bridge, tears still streaming down her face.

"I'm so sorry, Rory," Finn whispered as he reached out to pull her into his arms.

"Just...don't!" Rory barked out as she pushed him away.

"Did I do something, love? Finn asked, his confusion evident.

"No, but it's only a matter of time. God, I'm so stupid!"

"I'm not Jess, Rory. I'm not leaving."

"That's what you say now, but at some point I won't be enough anymore, and you'll leave just like all the others," Rory sobbed.

"Whoa, I'm not going anywhere," Finn attempted to soothe.

"That's what they've all said, but they've all left! My dad left, Jess left so many times I can't even count them, and even Logan proposed and then left! Just...just go now! I can't let myself get that close again only to have my heart broken."

Finn's heart broke for Rory in that moment, and he silently cursed these other men who had done such a number on her. He took two large steps toward her and pulled her close to him, not letting her get away. He held her tightly and poured his heart out.

"I'm not going anywhere, Rory. I know that you've heard that before, but I mean it. I'm here to stay, and I won't let you push me away because you're scared or because you've been hurt before. You mean too much to me; I can't lose you and Emma. You guys are everything to me now."

"No we're not! Just stop, please!" Rory pleaded as she pounded her fists on his chest, but her resolve was weakening.

"I'm not leaving you, Ror. There's nothing you can do to run me off. You can push all you want, but I will not walk away. We're in this together."

By this point his shirt was soaked with tears and Rory was about to collapse out of emotional exhaustion. Finn picked her up in his arms and sat down on the bridge with her in his lap, still holding onto her tightly, although she no longer had the energy to fight him.

"You have to believe me, baby. I'll do whatever it takes you to convince you that I'm here. I'm going to fight for you, Ror, for as long as it takes. I'll do whatever I have to do in order to earn yours and Emma's trust."

"I can't, Finn. I can't get hurt again," she sobbed pitifully.

"Don't walk away from me out of fear that I'll walk away from you. That's not how this works, Rory. You can't shut me out," he pleaded. Faced with the prospect of losing Rory, something became crystal clear to Finn. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard.

"God, Rory, I know it's only been a month since we started seeing each other, but thinking about losing you - it made me realize that I can't let you go. I love you, Rory, and I love Emma," he continued, tears forming in his eyes as well now.

"You don't mean that," Rory protested.

"I do mean that, Ror, more than anything. I've known you for years, and I've always been in awe of you, and this last month has been the best month of my entire life. If someone had told me that I would love spending evenings with my girlfriend and her daughter two months ago I would have thought they were crazy, but I do. You two are so important to me. I...I can't let go, Rory."

Finn reached down and fingered the necklace that he'd fastened around her neck a short while ago, running his thumb over the engraved words. Before he even knew what he was doing, he pulled her closer against his tear-soaked chest and sang quietly in her ear.

 _For her I would walk a straight line  
Wear out the soles of my shoes for her  
I would run through the night  
Just to kiss her one more time  
If she wanted me to  
Ride around, windows down, yeah, with the radio  
She's the kind that makes you wanna  
Drop your plans, drop a grand, hell where the money goes  
She make you wanna fight for her  
She make you wanna die for her, yeah  
She make you wanna fall  
Make you want it all, make you wanna call  
She make you wanna die for her, yeah_

Rory's sobs had quieted, and she was now clinging to Finn for dear life, almost as if she were afraid that he would disappear if she let go.

"I can't get my heart broken again, Finn," she whispered.

"I'm not going to break your heart, Rory. We'll have good days and we'll have bad days, but I won't walk away from you. I'm not going anywhere, baby."

"But what if -"

Finn cut her off quickly.

"No matter what, I'm not leaving. Whatever happens between us, we'll work through it. You're not alone anymore, Rory, I promise. I'm right where I want to be."

"How can you promise that, Finn?" she asked weakly.

Finn thought for a moment and swallowed hard before he spoke.

"Marry me," he whispered.

"What did you say?" she asked, obviously shocked by those two words.

"I would marry you right this minute, no prenup, because I am that committed to you and Emma. I love you both, and I'm here to stay."

"You can't be serious?" she asked, her head still reeling.

"Say yes and find out."

"You would actually marry me?"

"I wouldn't even think twice about it," he replied with a smile.

"But...we're not ready yet, are we?"

"Honestly? No, but it's something I see in the not-so-far future for us, at least as far as I'm concerned. Would that be such a bad thing?"

Rory was silent for a minute.

"Do you know what I thought about that first day at the zoo as I saw you with Ava and Emma? I saw how amazing you were with the girls and I wanted someone like that in my life," Rory whispered.

"You have someone like that in your life," Finn pressed.

"You're completely serious," she reiterated.

"I wouldn't ask you to marry me, no matter how unplanned, if I weren't," he chuckled.

"And if I say not right now?"

"I'd say you're a smart woman, and I'm still right here in this relationship with you. And maybe I'll wear you down someday," he replied with a wink.

"I don't think you'll have all that much "wearing down" to do when the day comes and you ask for real," she admitted.

"Is that so, Miss Gilmore?" he asked. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.

"Yeah, it is. Hey, Finn?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you, too," she whispered. "I'm sorry that I freaked out."

"No need to apologize, love. All the cards are on the table now, right? We love each other, and we both agree that marriage somewhere down the road would be nice."

"Right," she replied, finally smiling as well.

"Shall we go back and check on our girl?"

"About that…"

"Yes?"

"I talked to Emma back at the house. She's afraid that you're going to leave her just like Jess did."

"You know I wouldn't do that, Ror."

"I know that, and you know that, but she doesn't. I just...I think maybe it would be a good idea to give her some time to work through what she's feeling. Maybe it would be best if we don't see each other when she's around for a bit."

"And you don't think that will give her even more reason to believe that I'm going to leave her?" Finn asked incredulously.

"I honestly don't know," she replied uncertainly.

"I'll do whatever I need to do for her, but if you want me to stay away from her for a little while I want to sit down and talk to her first. You're welcome to be there; I just need to try to make sure she understands that I'm only giving her space because she wants it and not because I don't love her. I need her to know that I'm not leaving her."

"You're right, she needs to hear that from you," Rory agreed.

"We'll go back and talk to her, and then we'll work through this together, as a family," Finn emphasized.

"As a family," Rory confirmed.


	23. Chapter 23

Rory and Finn walked back into the Crap Shack and found total silence. Lorelai was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee, but Luke and Emma were nowhere to be found.

"Luke took Emma to the playground for a bit to try to help cheer her up," Lorelai offered when she saw Rory looking around the house.

"How is she?" Rory asked.

"She's upset and thinks that Jess left because of her, but she'll be okay. How are you, sweets?

"I've been better, but fortunately I have an amazing boyfriend who loves me and is willing to fight for me," Rory replied sweetly as she cuddled closer into Finn's side.

"I do love you, and I'll always fight for you," Finn confirmed with a smile as he kissed her on the forehead.

"So you two are okay?" Lorelai pressed.

"We're good. He made me realize that he's not going to leave me," replied Rory.

"Wow, impressive. How'd you manage that, Aussie?"

Finn and Rory shared a private look and both laughed.

"She's gonna find out anyway - might as well be from you," Rory chuckled.

"I asked her to marry me, actually," Finn admitted.

"I'm sorry, you what?!" Lorelai asked.

"I wanted her to understand how committed I am to her and Em, so I asked her to marry me. No prenup."

"I think I should be disturbed that I follow your logic," Lorelai chuckled. "And what did you say?" she asked her daughter.

"I said not right now," Rory admitted with a laugh. "And he said I'm a smart girl and that he'll wear me down someday."

"Well, you're certainly good, Mr. Morgan," Lorelai said with a smile. "What's the plan now?"

"When Emma and Luke get back Finn is going to talk to her and let her know how much he loves her and that he won't leave her, but then we're going to give her some space."

"I think that's a bad idea, sweets. Sure, she needs to feel secure, but Finn giving her space isn't going to help things. If anything, it will complicate them. No matter what he tells her, she will view the space as him leaving."

"She might not," Rory defended.

"She will, kiddo. Just look at your dad - no matter how many times he told you why he wasn't there, it still hurt every single time. Emma doesn't deserve that, babe. She needs the consistency, and someday she'll appreciate that Finn didn't give her that space," Lorelai stated firmly.

"You really think so?" Rory asked uncertainly.

"I really do, Ror. This is one of those moments when you need to put your foot down and pull the mom card."

"Alright," Rory sighed. "She's going to hate me for this."

"Well, welcome to the big leagues. Think of it as good preparation for the teenaged years," Lorelai replied as the front door opened and Luke and Emma walked back in the house.

"Luke and I are going to go upstairs and give you three some time to talk," Lorelai said with a pointed look at her daughter before taking Luke's hand and walking up the stairs.

Emma walked over to Rory and clung to her uncertainly.

"Hey, sweet girl. Feeling better now?" Rory asked her.

"Maybe a little," Emma sniffled.

"Let's go sit down on the couch so we can all three talk."

Finn, Rory and Emma walked over to the couch and sat down together.

"Em, I know that today has been a hard day, and I'm very sorry that Jess left, but Finn and I want to make sure that you understand that he's not going to leave us," Rory began. She was working off the cuff here; this wasn't the conversation she'd planned to have.

Emma just sat there silently looking at her.

"Emma," Finn picked up, "I love you and your mom very much, and I'm not going to leave you guys. You guys are too important to me; I couldn't ever leave you."

"We're not important to Uncle Jess?" Emma asked pitifully.

"You're very important to Uncle Jess. He loves you guys very much," Finn assured her.

"Then why did he leave?" Emma asked again.

"I really don't know, sweet girl, but I promise you that I'll never do that to you, okay?" Finn asked.

"You pinky promise?" Emma asked sweetly.

"I pinky promise," Finn chuckled, holding his pinky out to Emma.

"Now, I think you and your mom are going to stay here with Grandma and Grandpa, but I will see you tomorrow when you guys get back home."

"Promise that, too?" Emma asked.

"Promise that, too, Em. Can I have a hug?"

Emma nodded and crawled into Finn's lap, hugging him fiercely.

"Thank you for not leaving me, Finny," she whispered.

"Of course, little love. Now, why don't you run upstairs and see Grandma and Grandpa for a minute while I say goodbye to your mom."

Emma ran upstairs and left Finn and Rory alone.

"Are you going to be okay, Ror?" he asked tenderly.

"I think so. God, what a crazy last twenty-four hours. Last night I was on the best date of my entire life, and tonight I'm sending my boyfriend back home alone so my daughter and I can wallow."

"Everything will be okay, love, and if Jess has any brain at all he'll come around as well," Finn attempted to reassure her.

"I'm not going to hold my breath," Rory whispered.

"I love you, baby. We'll get through all of this together."

"I hope you're right," Rory replied.

"I am, even if I have to drag you to the courthouse to marry you in order to convince you," Finn joked.

"You are something else, Finn Morgan," Rory chuckled. "I love you, too, you know."

"I'm so happy that you do," Finn whispered, kissing her nose. "So, I'll see you guys tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Rory confirmed. "Although I would much rather just curl up in your arms and let you hold me all night."

"I would love that too, kitten. Want me to plan on staying tomorrow night? I could leave before Em gets up for the day."

"That would be really nice. Alright, I'll go find my girl and make sure she's okay. Let me know when you get home, okay?"

"Will do, love. Try to have fun with your mom and Em tonight. I love you."

"I love you, too," Rory whispered before meeting his lips tenderly.


	24. Chapter 24

Luke pulled up in front of Jess's apartment and took a deep breath. He'd left Lorelai, Rory and Emma at the Crap Shack. Emma was being indoctrinated in her first Gilmore girls wallowing experience, and Luke couldn't stomach the thought of watching the girl consume all of that junk food. He allowed his anger at his nephew to fuel him and made the short drive to Hartford, seething the entire time. Sure, Jess was family, but he was acting like the insolent hoodlum that had shown up in Stars Hollow so many years ago.

Luke harnessed his anger and got out of his truck, slamming the door shut behind him. He could handle a lot of the crap that his nephew put him through, but he drew the line at hurting his granddaughter. He stalked up to Jess's front door and knocked loudly.

"What?" Jess barked when he opened the front door and saw Luke.

"Don't you "what" me, Jess! You know very well why I'm here," Luke growled. He walked in the door and shut it behind him.

"If you're here to tell me what an ass I am, you can save it for later because I'm not interested in hearing it."

"Oh no, you don't get to pull that this time. I've watched you do a lot of stupid things, Jess, but this takes the cake. How could you walk out on that girl? You should have seen how upset she was."

"Rory's a big girl; she can take care of herself. Wait, I know! Finn can take care of her," Jess replied snidely.

"I was talking about Emma, you idiot. You and Rory are adults and can handle things however you choose, but that little girl doesn't deserve that. She was so upset that you just left and thought that she'd done something wrong."

"I just...I can't do it, Luke. I've loved Rory since I was seventeen, and to see her with someone else now just kills me. I'd been biding my time hoping that when she was ready to open up to someone I could be that guy, and all of the sudden she's with _him_ ," Jess lamented.

"Trust me when I say that I know how you feel, but that's still no reason to throw a fit and run out on people you care about. Do you have any idea how many times I had to watch Lorelai with other men? Hell, she even married Christopher at one point. But if I'd acted like you just did I wouldn't have ended up where I am now. It hurt, but it was all worth it."

"How'd you do it? How'd you stay sane through all of that?"

"I cared so much about her that her happiness was more important than my own," Luke said wisely.

"So you're saying I should go apologize and continue to bide my time until I get my chance?"

"As much as I would like to tell you that, I don't think it's that simple. Rory's a fiercely protective mom, and you'll have one hell of a time getting on her good side again…" Luke hesitated.

"And?" Jess prodded.

"Do you want the truth?"

"Absolutely," Jess immediately answered.

"I've seen the two of them together a lot - Rory and Finn - and he adores her and Emma. I think it's best if you try to move on; I don't think he'll be going anywhere anytime soon."

"I can wait."

"Jess, I heard Rory talking to Lorelai in the kitchen before I came over. She and Finn are quite serious. I think they'll get married," Luke said quietly.

"Huh."

"What you need to do is decide whether or not you're willing to be in Emma's life if there's no potential for something with Rory. If you're not then you need to apologize to Emma and move on. She can't be used as a pawn in your love life," Luke warned.

"I see," Jess said awkwardly. He stood up and began busying himself around his apartment while he processed the information Luke had given him.

"What would you do if you were me?" Jess whispered.

"I stood by patiently for years as the friend, but only you can decide what you need to do, Jess."

"I don't think I can do that," Jess admitted.

"Then you need to make things right with Emma and then let them both go. You can't be in and out of her life; it's not fair to her."

"You're right," Jess sighed. "I'll let Rory and Emma cool off for a day or two and then I'll go talk to them. Can you just...can you tell them both that I'm sorry? And Finn, too? He seems like a nice guy, as much as I hate to admit it, and I know that he's stuck dealing with the consequences of what I did."

"I think you should apologize to him yourself," Luke said. He took out a pen and a piece of paper and copied down Finn's number out of his phone. "The girls will be at my house tonight and he's back here in Hartford; call him and do it tonight."

"I don't know if I can do that," Jess protested.

"You can do a lot more than you give yourself credit for. Make the phone call."

"I will as soon as you leave, I promise," Jess relented.

Jess entered the pub that Finn had reluctantly agreed to meet him at and looked around for him. He spotted him in the corner nursing a beer and walked over and sat down across from him quietly.

"Thanks for meeting me," Jess said hesitantly after he'd settled in the booth.

"You said it was important. You should know that I'm not going to walk away from Rory, so if you're here to try to convince me to do that it's not going to work," Finn said firmly.

"That's not why I'm here at all. Luke came by my apartment and pointed out what an ass I was today. I owe you an apology."

"You owe Rory and Emma an apology," Finn insisted.

"I do, and I'll get to that tomorrow or Monday; I figure it's best to give them some time to cool off. But I also owe you an apology because you're stuck dealing with the consequences of my actions today."

"Emma didn't want me to hug her or be near her," Finn admitted quietly.

"Do you love her?" Jess whispered.

"I love them both very much," Finn replied instantly.

"And you two are serious?"

"I...uh...I asked her to marry me today," Finn said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I needed her to understand how serious I was about her and Emma."

"Huh. So you two are engaged now?"

"No, we're not. It was a bit spontaneous and I didn't think she would say yes, although I would have done it if she agreed. But it spurred a serious conversation and we both agree that's the end goal," Finn admitted. "I'm sorry to tell you that, but I think honesty is best."

Jess fidgeted in his seat and looked around uncomfortably for a minute, unsure of what to say to this revelation.

"Look, I just wanted to apologize, again, for the way I acted today. Luke helped me to see how badly I screwed up. I'm going to ask Rory and Emma to see me and then I'll be out of your hair."

"You don't have to do that on my account; I have no problem with you being in Rory and Emma's lives," Finn told Jess.

"I just...I can't do it. I need to try to move on, and I can't do that if I'm still near them."

"I wish you all the best," Finn said quietly, reaching out to shake Jess's hand.

"Yeah, thanks. You too, man. Listen...take good care of them, please?" Jess pleaded.

"It's a promise. They're the most important people in my life," Finn promised before Jess walked away.


	25. Chapter 25

Finn and Rory were in her kitchen Monday night cooking dinner together. Emma had warmed back up to Finn a bit, although she still wasn't her bubbly self. Rory dried her hands off and went over to check her phone that had just beeped on the counter. She looked at the text message and threw her phone back down angrily.

"Everything okay there, love?" Finn asked.

"It's Jess," Rory grumbled.

"Oh? What does he want?"

"He says he wants to apologize to Emma and I. I don't want to let him back in, Finn. I can't let him hurt my baby girl any more than he already has," Rory whispered.

"Jess asked me to meet him yesterday after he talked to Luke. Luke gave me his phone number. He wanted to apologize to me. He knows he screwed up, and he just wants to apologize to you two. He doesn't expect to be part of your life again," Finn admitted quietly.

"Jess Mariano apologized?"

"He did. I think you should just let him make his amends, Ror, and then you can move on. I think it's important for Emma," encouraged Finn.

"Will you stay here when he comes over?"

"Of course, love," Finn replied tenderly as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. Rory stilled in his embrace for a minute and then picked her phone back up and fired off a quick reply to Jess before returning to dinner prep with Finn. She glanced at her phone as it alerted again and then began setting the table.

"He'll be here after we eat," she told Finn quietly.

"I'll be right here with you, kitten. We'll move on from this together," Finn reassured her.

"Yeah," Rory replied uncertainly.

Finn frowned and tipped her chin up so that her eyes met his.

"Hey, it was a sucky thing, but something good came of it, no? I mean, we have some clarity about where we're headed now, so it wasn't all bad," he said with a small smile.

"You're right, not all bad," Rory replied with a small grin. "I must admit, I never thought I'd see Finn Morgan propose," she teased.

"And I never thought I'd propose and get turned down," Finn joked back.

"Hey, it wasn't a no! It was a not-right-now," Rory defended as she laughed at the mock pout on Finn's face.

"I may never recover," he joked dramatically.

Rory giggled at him and wrapped her arms around him, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss him thoroughly. She giggled at the dazed look on Finn's face as she pulled away.

"Recovering now?" she whispered.

"I think I may survive," Finn replied with a grin.

"Good, because I really love you."

"Ah, there it is. I think those three words may bring about a full recovery," Finn smirked. He kissed her tenderly and whispered back. "I love you too."

"Thank you," Rory said quietly.

"For what, kitten?"

"For knowing how to help make me feel better."

"It's my pleasure, Ror," Finn replied with a huge smile.

"Dinner's ready, so I'm going to go get Emma so we can eat."

"Sounds good. I'll put dinner on the table."

Rory returned a couple of minutes later and they all sat down at the table for dinner. Rory had come to really look forward to their "family" dinners at the table together. It was nice having Finn there with them. They'd almost finished their meal and Rory knew she needed to prep Emma a bit for Jess's visit.

"Hey, Em?" she asked.

"Yes, Mommy?"

"Uncle Jess is going to be here in just a bit. He wants to apologize for what happened at my birthday party."

"Do I have to talk to him?" Emma asked quietly.

"I need you to at least listen to him, okay? He knows that he was wrong, and it's important for him to tell you that he's sorry."

"Is he going to yell again?" Emma asked sadly.

"No, baby. I won't let him yell," Rory assured him.

"And Finny, you're still going to be here?"

"Of course, Em. I'll be here for you and your mom anytime you need me," Finn reassured her just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get that," Rory said hesitantly. She gathered all of the composure she could muster and walked over to the door.

"Hey," she said quietly as she opened the door for Jess and stepped aside to let him in.

"Hey," he replied, looking down at his feet.

"Come on in."

"Thanks. I uh...I wanted to apologize to you and Emma."

"Okay, I'll go get her."

Rory walked to the dining room to get Emma and Finn could tell that she was barely keeping herself from crying over the emotions of the last two days and the looming conversation with Jess. He wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her forehead.

"Do you want me to go outside to give you some privacy?" he asked quietly.

"No, I need you close. Please...stay," she pleaded.

"Whatever you need me to do, love."

The three of them walked back to the living room and sat down on the couch. Jess sat down awkwardly in the adjacent chair and sighed.

"Emma, I'm so sorry about the way I acted on Saturday. It wasn't right of me. I want you to know that you didn't do anything wrong, okay? I was upset and I made some bad decisions."

Emma looked at Jess for a minute and then turned to her mom.

"Mommy, can I go to my room to play now, please?" she asked quietly. Rory could see all of the emotions all over her daughter's face, as could Finn.

"Yeah, you go ahead, honey. I need to talk to Uncle Jess a bit more."

"Is it okay if I go with her, love?" Finn asked. "I want to make sure she's okay, as long as you don't need me."

"No, it's okay. Please, go with her; I'll be okay," Rory insisted. She reached out and grabbed Finn's hand as he walked by. "Thank you, baby," she whispered quietly.

He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Of course, love. Anything for my girls."

Jess and Rory watched Finn walk away and Jess cleared his throat before speaking again.

"Look, I know I'm probably the last person that you want to talk to right now, but Luke helped me see what an ass I was on Saturday. I just needed to apologize for the way I reacted to you and Finn. I can't leave things between us like that."

"I'm sorry that seeing us together is so hard for you," Rory said quietly. "I never meant to hurt you."

"I know you didn't, Ror. I didn't mean to hurt you either. I really do feel awful about what happened."

"Thank you, Jess," Rory said quietly. "Things are never going to be the same with us, though."

"I know. I just...I needed to apologize. I need to not be around you and Em for a while. It hurts too badly, and I need to move on. And frankly, you two don't need to deal with my asshole tendencies while I do it," Jess admitted. "Maybe after I work through these feelings we can see each other at family events again."

Jess stood up awkwardly and looked at Rory one last time.

"Can I have a hug?" he choked out.

Rory nodded and stood to embrace him, and she felt his tears on her shoulder.

"Be happy," he whispered as he placed her house key in her hand and turned to walk out the door.

"I am," Rory whispered with tears brimming in her eyes. She watched Jess walk out her door and numbly walked to Emma's room to check on her. The tears that had been threatening to spill out began falling as she saw the man she loved sitting in the floor playing Barbies with Emma. It hurt to lose one of her closest friends, but she took comfort in the amazing man who loved her and Emma more than anything.


	26. Chapter 26

Life had settled down for Rory, Emma and Finn in the couple of weeks since Rory's birthday party. Jess had not come around again, true to his word. Emma had relaxed around Finn and was even closer than she had been to him prior to the incident. Rory had met with Odette for coffee several times. Logan had begged Odette to give their marriage another chance, and she had reluctantly agreed. Now it was time for Emma's checkup to ensure that she was still in remission.

Rory had taken the day off work, knowing that it would be a long, hard day and that Emma would need some extra TLC after her doctor's visit. She was always a little clingy and uncertain after the visits, probably because of the time she'd had to spend in the hospital for treatments.

They'd met Finn for breakfast that morning, hoping that a treat would help ease Emma's anxiety some. As they were sitting eating their breakfast Emma turned her her big blue eyes on Finn and scooted over close to him. She tugged on his hand before speaking.

"Finny, are you going with Mommy and me today to the doctor?"

Finn cleared his throat and looked to Rory. They'd discussed it briefly, but ultimately Rory had assured him that they would be okay without him there and he had reluctantly agreed not to go. Rory shrugged her shoulders at Finn and he turned his attention back to Emma.

"Do you want me to go with you, Little Love?" he asked her.

Emma thought for a couple of seconds.

"I think I would feel more brave if you went with me," she answered quietly.

Finn once again looked up at Rory and she quickly smiled and nodded to him.

"Well then, I can't think of anything more important for me to do. I shall spend the day with my two girls," Finn reassured Emma. He had meetings scheduled at work, but there was no way he could let her down; she was far more important than anything else on his schedule for the day.

"Really?" Emma asked happily.

"Really, sweet girl. Now, finish your breakfast so we can get going."

Emma threw her arms around Finn's neck and hugged him fiercely.

"Thank you, Finny!"

"Of course, Em. There's nowhere I'd rather be," he assured her.

Emma, Rory and Finn were sitting in the exam room. They had done Emma's scans and were about to draw blood to send to the lab. Emma seemed to be getting more and more nervous as the moments ticked by on the clock, and Finn couldn't help but feel for the poor girl. He was a thirty-nine year old man and he didn't like getting blood drawn either. He took his phone out and did some quick tapping.

"Hey, Em? Come look what I just downloaded," Finn told the antsy little girl. He held out his phone to show her Where the Wild Things Are.

"My favorite! Can we read it, please?" she asked, turning her doe eyes on Finn.

"Of course, silly girl! Why else would I have downloaded it?"

Emma crawled up in Finn's lap and he began reading the story to her, using funny voices for each of the different characters. Emma was giggling uncontrollably when the nurse walked in the room to draw blood.

"My, it seems that something is awfully funny in here," the nurse said with a smile.

"Hi, Nurse Melissa," Emma replied. "We're reading Where the Wild Things Are, and he has the best voice for Max and Claire!"

"I see, Miss Emma. And do tell, who is this gentleman who is reading you a story?" Melissa asked.

"This is Finn! Finny, this is Nurse Melissa. She's my favorite!" Emma said happily.

"And is Finn your...boyfriend?" Melissa teased.

"No! He's Mommy's boyfriend, but he loves me, too!" Emma proclaimed happily.

Finn chuckled and kissed the top of Emma's head. "That I do, Em. I love you and your mom very much."

"Well, would you like for him to keep reading to you while I draw your blood? You'd have to be still, but I bet you can do that, can't you?" Nurse Melissa asked.

"I can! Will you read to me still, Finn?" Emma asked him.

"Of course I will, sweet girl."

Finn situated Emma more securely on his lap and continued to read to Emma as the nurse cleaned her arm and prepared to draw her blood. He held Emma's left hand and rubbed it soothingly as the nurse used the right and Emma barely flinched.

"I'm all done, Emma. You were very brave," the nurse complimented her.

"See, I told you I would be braver with you here, Finny! I always cry, but not today," Emma said proudly.

"You were fantastic, Em."

Rory and Finn had just tucked Emma into bed and read her a bedtime story. They walked out of her room and Rory was in Finn's arms before he'd even finished shutting the door behind them.

"You were so amazing today, Finn. You took such good care of Emma and me; I seriously don't know what we would do without you," Rory said. She took his hand and lead him into the living room to the couch. She sat down in his lap and began kissing his jaw line.

"It was nothing, kitten," Finn said humbly.

"No, it was definitely something. You kept both of us calm, and you made her laugh and actually have fun today despite all of the testing that she had done. You were perfect," Rory whispered.

"I assure you that I'm not perfect; I only did what comes naturally with my two girls," Finn assured her.

"Well, we both love you so much, Finn. Thank you for being you."

"Anytime, love," Finn chuckled. "Now, you need to get to bed; we can't have the teacher sleeping through class tomorrow."

"Stay?" Rory asked.

"Of course."


	27. Chapter 27: Meet the Parents

"Come on, Emma! We need to hurry!" Rory called through the house. It was Thanksgiving, and she and Emma were meeting Finn's family today. She was so incredibly nervous about whether or not things would go well. She was just putting the finishing touches on her outfit when she heard the front door open.

"Ror?" came Finn's voice.

"Bedroom!" she called back.

She slipped on her last earring as Finn walked into her room.

"You look stunning, Kitten," Finn said as he eyed her appreciatively.

"Are you sure? I want to make a good impression, so if this isn't good I can change," she offered.

"No, you look perfect. Now, relax. They're going to love you, I promise. They're all so excited to meet you and Emma," Finn reassured her.

"They really don't mind that I have a daughter?"

"They really don't mind, Love. They're just as excited about Emma as they are about you. Now, are you two beautiful ladies ready to go?" Finn asked, trying to hurry them along.

"Yeah, I think so. Em is in her bedroom. Do you want to get her and I'll meet you guys in the living room?" Rory asked as she took one last look in the mirror.

Finn shook his head and chuckled at his incredibly nervous girlfriend. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. Before she could open her mouth to protest, he kissed her deeply. He smiled to himself as he finally felt her relax into the kiss and melt into his arms. When he was convinced that she could barely remember her own name, he pulled back and kissed her on the forehead.

"Quit overthinking things, love. Come on, let's go," Finn encouraged her. He took her hand and pulled her out of her bedroom behind him. He stopped at Emma's door and smiled at her.

"Hey there, Em. You ready to go to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family?" he asked.

"Finny! Will Ava be there?" Emma asked.

"She will! Now come on, let's go before we're late."

Emma ran toward the front door excitedly. She'd been asking to see Ava again since that first day at the zoo, but they hadn't been able to coordinate schedules.

Finn ushered his girls out the door and into his waiting SUV, taking time to ensure that Emma was properly buckled before he got into the driver's seat. He steered his car toward his parents' Hartford home and Emma jumped in with conversation as soon as they were on the road.

"Finny, did Mommy tell you that the doctors said I'm still not sick?" Emma asked excitedly.

Finn smiled at the cute way the she worded it. Her oncologist had called the previous day and let them know that everything looked perfect and she was still in remission. Finn didn't realize how nervous he was until they got the all-clear and he felt like he could breathe again.

"She did tell me that, Little Love. I'm so happy that you're not sick," Finn told Emma.

"I'm happy too, Finn. Are you happy, Mommy?" Emma asked.

Rory just laughed that her daughter would even think to ask that.

"Of course I'm happy, Em," Rory replied.

They all chatted about school and the upcoming winter break on the rest of the short drive to the Morgan house. Finn could see Rory tense up again as they pulled into the large driveway and he reached over to hold her hand. He rubbed her knuckles gently as he spoke, trying to reassure both of the girls.

"Thank you girls for coming with me today; my family is so excited to meet my two leading ladies," Finn said softly.

He parked his car and helped Emma out of her car seat.

"Will you carry me, Finny?" she asked sweetly. He knew that she liked to be held when she was nervous, and he was more than happy to do so.

"Of course, sweet girl. Let's go around and help Mommy out of the car," he replied.

He walked to the other side of the car and took Rory's hand as she got out. He gave her a chaste kiss and lead her to the front door. Rory smiled as Finn ushered her into the house and to the living room where his family was waiting.

"Happy Thanksgiving, everyone," Finn greeted his family.

"Oh, Finn! We're so thrilled that you three could come today," his mum, Abigail, replied.

Rory smiled as Finn's parents walked over to them, and she relaxed when Abigail pulled her into a warm hug.

"We've heard so much about you and Emma, dear. We're just delighted that you two could come join us for Thanksgiving dinner," Abigail gushed.

"We appreciate the invitation very much. Emma has been so excited to see Ava again," Rory replied.

"Oh, yes! The kids are in the playroom. Would you like to go see them, Emma?" Finnegan asked.

Emma nodded shyly and leaned over to whisper into Finn's ear. He chuckled and nodded.

"Of course I'll take you to the playroom. Come on, let's go find Ava," he said with a smile.

Rory watched Finn walk off with Emma and couldn't help but smile at the sight. He was so good with her, and it melted Rory's heart.

"He's crazy about you two, you know," Finnegan said with a grin.

"Well, we're crazy about him, too. He's so amazing with Emma; she just adores him," Rory replied happily.

"Well, since he's with the kids at the moment, let me introduce you to our daughters, Eva and Elena," Finnegan said as he pointed to the two girls who had made their way across the room to greet her. "Eva's husband's name is Michael, and Elena is married to Ian."

"It's lovely to meet you both. Finn has told me so much about you," Rory said warmly.

"We're just so excited to meet you and Emma - Finn hasn't quit talking about you for months - since he ran into you at the zoo, actually," Eva said.

Rory blushed and wrapped her arms around Finn as he resumed his place next to him in the living room. He slid his arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the forehead.

"Em's happily playing with the girls, love. I take it you've met everyone now?" he asked.

"I have - they've all been wonderfully welcoming," Rory beamed.

"Good. Shall we all sit at chat?"

"Yes, let's do!" Amelia exclaimed.

"I'm exhausted," Rory groaned as they walked back into her house that evening.

Finn carried a sleeping Emma to her room and laid her in bed. They'd stayed quite late, talking and playing board games with his family, and they had changed the kids into pajamas a couple of hours ago so they could fall asleep while watching a movie. He walked back into the living room to find Rory's eyes already drifting closed.

"Alright, to bed we go, missy. Come on," Finn said as he helped her up off the couch and into her bedroom. He chuckled as he watched her stumble through the room half asleep and change into her pajamas. She was adorable when she was sleepy. He got ready for bed and climbed in next to her on what had become _his_ side of the bed when he stayed.

"So things went okay?" she asked sleepily as she snuggled into his side.

"Things went better than okay, Love. They adored you and Emma both," he assured her.

"I love you, Finn," she whispered just before she drifted off.

"I love you too, Ror."


	28. Chapter 28

Rory sighed in relief as the last bell of the day rang. It was now officially winter break, and she had three glorious weeks off work. She gathered her things and locked her classroom door for the last time this year. She smiled and felt her body visibly relax as she walked down the hall to pick Emma up. She loved her job, but she was ready for some rest and fun.

"Hey there, Em. You ready to go?" Rory asked when she reached Emma's classroom.

"Mommy! How many days until we leave for our trip?" Emma asked excitedly.

Rory chuckled at her daughter's excitement for their coming mini-vacation.

"Three days, sweet girl. Let's head home," Rory replied.

"Is Finn coming over tonight?" Emma asked. It was becoming incredibly rare for him not to come over after work. They usually had dinner together, and about half the time he would spend the night.

"He is. Is that okay?" Rory asked.

"Of course, Mommy! I love it when Finny comes over," Emma assured her.

"Well, good. Do you want to stop for hot chocolate on the way home?" Rory offered.

"Ooh! Please, please, please, please, please!" Emma squealed happily. She always loved their hot chocolate dates.

Rory loaded Emma into her car and drove to their favorite place for hot chocolate, Sarah's Coffee House. They arrived a few minutes later and Rory ordered two large hot chocolates with extra whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Emma had certainly inherited the Gilmore women's appetites and iron stomachs. They sat down at a quiet table and enjoyed their drinks. Emma was so excited about Christmas and couldn't keep herself from chattering about it constantly.

"Mommy, can I get Finn a present for Christmas?" she asked as they were sitting and enjoying their hot cocoa.

"Of course, sweetie. What do you want to get him?" Rory asked. She hadn't even decided what she wanted to get him yet. He was the type who just bought anything he wanted, which made it difficult to shop for him.

"I don't know. Can we go shopping?" Emma asked.

"Sure, we can do that," Rory assured her. "We still have plenty of time to find the perfect gift for him."

The two girls finished their drinks over more discussion of the upcoming holiday, and Rory couldn't help but get excited as she heard Emma's pure joy over the Christmas festivities and their trip. Finn had practically begged Rory to let him take herself and Emma to New York City for the week before Christmas, and she'd finally relented. They were planning to enjoy a stereotypical New York Christmas tourist experience, complete with ice skating, FAO Schwartz, The Rockettes, the Rockefeller tree and the holiday decor.

Rory looked at her watch as their finished their drinks and decided they had some time to go shopping now. She loaded Emma into the car and drove to Westfarms Mall. They walked through several department stores and looked at everything from cologne to ties to dress shirts to watches, but nothing seemed quite right.

Just as Rory was about to give up for the day, she spotted Things Remembered across the mall. She led Emma over to the engraving store and they browsed through the displays. She looked at the wallets, cuff links, money clips and tie tacks, but none of them caught her eye. Suddenly she saw a beautiful sterling silver picture frame holding a picture of a couple and she had an idea. She took it up to the cashier and wrote out what she wanted engraved on the frame before taking Emma back onto the sales floor to browse while they waited.

Emma giggled over all of the Star Wars and Marvel cufflinks and finally picked out a simple sterling silver dog tag on a chain. She pointed to it excitedly.

"Mommy, can I get that for Finn and pick out what I want it to say?" Emma asked.

"I think that would be perfect. What do you want it to say?" Rory asked.

Emma whispered in her mom's ear, and Rory smiled happily at Emma's words.

"I think that's perfect, Em. Let's go tell them what we want and pay for it, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy!" Emma replied happily.

Finn had taken the afternoon off to finish his Christmas shopping. It was Friday, and he and Rory and Emma were leaving for New York on Monday. This would be his last chance to go shopping without the girls, and he still needed to get gifts for Rory and Emma.

He drove the short distance from the office to Becker's Fine Diamonds & Jewelry. He quickly found a parking place and walked inside, where he was immediately greeted by a salesman. He told the gentleman helping him that he had in mind and then followed him over to the display cases. He looked at all of the beautiful rings in front of him and tried to imagine which one Rory would like best. He didn't want anything too flashy, because that definitely wasn't her, but he hoped to find a piece that she would love and that could become a family heirloom. After looking at what seemed like dozens of rings without seeing "the one", he suddenly spotted it out of the corner of his eye. It was breathtaking and the beautiful sapphire reminded him of Rory's eyes.

"That's it - that's the one," he breathed reverently as he held the ring and looked at it closely.

"Excellent choice, Mr. Mogan. Do you happen to have the lucky lady's ring size with you?" the salesman asked.

Finn unlocked his phone and scrolled through his text messages from Lorelai.

"Actually, I do. She wears a size 6. Could I get the inside of the band engraved?" Finn asked.

"Of course, sir. Just write down what you'd like to have engraved on this sheet of paper and we can have it ready for you to pick up as early as tomorrow."

Finn thought for a moment and smiled as it came to him. He quickly wrote down the three words that he wanted engraved on the band and then paid for his purchase. It was perfect.


	29. Chapter 29

Emma bounced into Rory's room early Monday morning, already excited to leave for their trip. She'd been packed for two days and was constantly talking about everything they were going to do over the week in New York City. She and Rory hadn't traveled much, and Finn's descriptions of the things they were going to do on her trip had her quite anxious for the coming fun.

"Mommy, Finny! Today's the day!" Emma squealed as she launched herself in between them in bed. "Wake up, wake up! We go on vacation today!"

Finn and Rory stirred in bed, and Rory couldn't help but fall more in love as Emma curled into Finn's open arms and snuggled up to him.

"Good morning there, Little Love. Are you excited for our trip?" Finn asked sleepily.

"I'm so excited, Finny! We're going to have the best time ever, and we even get to stay in one of your hotels!" Emma was over-the-moon about every part of this trip, but it particularly excited her to know that Finn's family owned the hotel they were staying in.

"Well, why don't you go get dressed and I'll get your mom out of bed, okay? We can all get ready and go out for breakfast and then leave for New York," Finn suggested.

Emma hopped up out of bed and tore off to her room to get dressed. Finn smiled as Rory rolled into his arms and kissed him.

"Good morning," she whispered sleepily.

"Morning, Kitten. You ready to get up and start this day? Em's going to burst from excitement at any moment," Finn chuckled.

Rory wrinkled up her nose adorably, and Finn couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm quite happy here in bed with you, but I guess we should get up and get ready. Is it okay if I hop in the shower first, since it takes me longer to get ready?" Rory asked.

"Of course. You shower and I'll make sure Emma isn't wearing shorts and a tank top in the middle of December."

Finn and Rory got out of bed, both going their separate ways to prepare for the day. While Rory got into the shower, Finn started a pot of coffee and ducked into Emma's room to check on her progress. She'd dressed herself in a pair of jeans and a sweater and was currently struggling to put her boots on.

"Need help there, Em?" Finn asked after watching her for a minute.

"Please. They're so hard to get on," she complained.

Finn sat down next to her on the bed and pulled her feet into his lap. He made quick work of her boots and then stood back up. Just before he walked out of Emma's room, he heard her sweet little voice.

"Hey, Finny?" Finn turned around and smiled at her.

"Yes, Love?"

"Thank you for taking care of me and Mommy. We like you being here," Emma finished softly.

Finn smiled broadly, a truly happy smile, and and walked over to where Emma was standing. He knelt in front of her and hugged her tightly. "I like being here with you and your mom, sweet girl," Finn whispered.

Finn pulled up in front of Morgans Hotel New York, one of their flagship locations, amidst Emma's excited chattering. "We're here!" she squealed excitedly.

Finn put his SUV into park and chuckled at Emma's exuberance. "That we are, Em."

Rory unbuckled Emma and got her out of the car on the passenger side while Finn retrieved their bags from the back and loaded them onto the waiting luggage cart. He handed the keys off to the valet and they all walked inside together. Emma was immediately pulling Rory from one side of the room to the next, pointing out things she loved. Finn just shook his head - it was crazy how much he loved those girls and their excitement for life - and walked to the front desk.

"Good morning, Mr. Morgan. We're delighted to have you here for the week. The family suite is all set for your arrival. Can I get you anything?" the concierge, Frank, asked.

"No, but thank you, Frank. I've taken care of all of our arrangements for the week myself. I appreciate your offer, though."

Finn left the luggage cart in the bellhop's capable hands and joined Emma and Rory in their exploration of the grand lobby.

Emma pulled them both over to the huge decorated Christmas tree and jumped up and down. "Mommy, can we please have a picture of us in front of the Christmas tree?" Emma begged.

"Of course, sweetie," Rory answered.

Finn took his phone out and began to step back to snap a picture of his girls in front of the tree, but Emma quickly grabbed his hand and stopped him. "You have to be in the picture too, Finny - you're part of our family!" Emma demanded sweetly.

Finn looked to Rory and she shrugged and nodded at him. He smiled and walked back to Frank at the front desk.

"It appears there is something you could help me with, Frank. Think you could take a picture of me with my girls over there?" Finn asked.

"Of course, sir." Frank had known the younger Mr. Morgan for many years, but this was the first time he had seen him with a child who wasn't related to him. "Your family?" Frank asked quietly as they walked back over to Rory and Emma.

Finn hesitated a moment to consider his words. "My girlfriend and her daughter, but yes, they are my family," he admitted.

"They're lucky to have you, sir."

Finn looked up and smiled. "Actually, Frank, I'm the luckiest man in the world to have them."

Finn joined Rory and Emma next to the tree and put his arms around two of the most important people in his life. They smiled for several pictures and then Finn took his camera back from Frank and ushered them into the elevator. They rode to the top floor in a comfortable silence, all three of them thinking about how great this week together was going to be.


	30. Chapter 30

"Whoa!" Emma exclaimed excitedly as she looked around. Her eyes were the size of saucers and her smile lit up her entire face. Finn laughed and took her hand to led her further into the bustling store. He'd taken Rory and Emma to Rockefeller Center earlier in the day to go ice skating and see the big tree, and now they were at Dylan's Candy Bar. He bent down and picked Emma up to keep her safe in the crowd.

"Are you hungry, Little Love?"

"For candy?" Emma squealed.

"For food first, then for candy," Finn chuckled. He took Rory's hand and led the girls into the cafe. He'd pulled some strings as soon as he'd found out they were coming to New York and reserved one of their famous cupcake booths, certain that Em would love it. Emma's jaw dropped as she looked all around them at the sundaes and other sweet treats that everyone was enjoying.

"What sounds good to eat, Em? They have macaroni and cheese, hamburgers, pizzas, nachos, chicken tenders, cheese quesadillas?" Finn asked as he looked over the menu.

"Hmm...I think mac and cheese, please," Emma replied politely.

"Do you know what you want, Ror?" he asked as he looked across the table at his girlfriend. She looked almost as excited as Emma, and he thought it was adorable.

"Hmm…" she began as she wrinkled her nose and studied the menu. "I think I'll get the steak and cheese."

"I'm going to get a burger. Want to share some onion rings?" he asked.

"Sure! I can't believe you got us reservations here the week before Christmas, Finn. This is amazing," Rory said gratefully.

Their waitress came to the table and they ordered their food. Emma chattered on about the dessert menu and how much fun she was having while they waited. Then she started her list of all of the different candies she wanted to buy and Rory just laughed. Finn had sat Rory down when they started planning the trip and made her promise that she would relax and enjoy the trip without concern for money. He had been adamant that he wanted to treat his girls and she had finally reluctantly agreed to let him foot the bill for the trip.

Their food was brought to their table and they continued to discuss what they were going to do on the rest of their trip while they ate. Finn had tried to take Emma's energy levels and desires into account when he planned the trip. They were doing all family-fun activities and he'd planned breaks throughout the day so Emma could relax at the hotel in order to ensure she didn't get too tired. They all dug into their food and Emma began bouncing in her seat and begging for dessert the moment she was finished. Finn leaned over and whispered to her conspiratorially. Her eyes got huge and she nodded happily. Rory couldn't help but laugh at the two of them plotting dessert.

Finn ordered dessert quietly, determined to keep it a surprise from Rory, and her jaw dropped when it was brought to the table. He had gotten the I Bet You Can't Sundae. It had ten scoops of ice cream, ten toppings, hot fudge, caramel, whipped cream, cherries and sprinkles.

"I feel like this should be a Gilmore rite of passage," she said with a laugh. "This thing is unreal."

"You two lean in close so I can get a picture of you with the sundae," Finn instructed them. This was their first family vacation, and he wanted to document the entire trip. He snapped a few pictures and then they dug into the sundae. They gave it a valiant effort, but they were no match for the tower of sweets. They finally threw in their spoons and sat back in the booth.

"I can't believe we ate so much," Rory groaned.

"I can totally believe it," Finn chuckled.

He settled the bill and they excited the cafe and walked around the store, collecting candies on the way. They gathered Red Vines, jelly beans, gummy bears, and every other candy that a Gilmore girl could want before heading back to their hotel for a rest. They walked back into their suite and Finn laid Emma down in her bed - she had fallen asleep on the way back to the hotel. He covered her up and made a quick stop in their bedroom before he joined Rory back in the living room.

"You having a good time, Love?" he asked as he sat down and pulled her into his lap.

"I'm having the best time, Finn," Rory replied as she laid her head down on his chest.

"Can I give you your Christmas gift now?"

Rory looked up at him. "But it's not Christmas yet; that's next week," she protested weakly.

"No, it's not, but we're going to be visiting both of our families on Christmas and won't have any time just the two of us. It's something I would prefer to give you privately."

"Okay, sure," Rory agreed.

Finn reached into his pocket and wrapped his hand around the ring in his pocket and took a deep breath. "You know that I love you and Emma so much. You two have become my family, and someday I hope to make that official. Before you say anything, I know that we're not ready for that step yet, so you can relax. I don't intend in proposing a second time until I'm sure of your answer," he teased.

Rory leaned up and kissed him tenderly and then he continued.

"As I was saying, you and Em are everything to me. Someday, when you're ready, I want to marry you, Rory. I hope you'll wear this ring as a symbol of that promise," he whispered sweetly. He opened his hand and held out the ring he'd picked out. It was a beautiful platinum ring with a split band encrusted with diamonds, and the center stone was a sapphire. Rory gasped when she saw it.

"It's beautiful, Finn," she breathed reverently.

"I'd like the pleasure of putting it on your finger, but read the inscription first," he prodded.

She held the ring up and read the three words he'd had engraved inside the band - "When you're ready" - and smiled. She placed the ring back in his hand and then held her left out out to him with tears in her eyes.

"Does that mean you'll accept my promise, Love?" Finn asked, hope and love written all over his face.

"Of course I will," she whispered.

Finn slid the ring on her ring finger and smiled as he watched her admire the ring on her hand.

"I love you, Ror."

"I love you, too, Finn," Rory said before meeting his lips for a passionate kiss.


	31. Chapter 31

Of all the things that Finn had planned for their trip to New York, today was his favorite. He had saved the best for last. Emma's favorite book and movie was Alice in Wonderland, and he had made reservations for lunch at Alice's Tea Cup. It was an Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant and store, and he could hardly wait to see Emma's reaction. He'd ordered an Alice costume for Emma and brought it with him to New York as a surprise. He wanted her to get the full experience.

"Hey, Em? I need you to change for lunch, and I have something special for you to wear," he said as he walked into the living room where she was watching TV. She looked up at him questioningly.

"What is it?" Emma asked inquisitively.

Finn handed her the box he'd wrapped the outfit in and watched as her eyes lit up - she loved surprises. She threw her arms around him for a hug and then ripped the paper off the box and squealed when she saw what was inside. She immediately started jumping up and down and hugging the dress as she spun around the room.

"It's...it's...oh my gosh!" Emma squealed. "I get an Alice dress?"

"You do, Little Love. Can you go get dressed in it for me? Mommy can help you," Finn said.

"This is the best day ever!" she exclaimed happily.

Emma hugged Finn again and then ran off toward her bedroom with Rory on her heels. Finn loved her excitement - it was quite contagious. She emerged from her bedroom a bit later wearing the blue and white Alice dress, white tights, black dress shoes, and a red ribbon in her hair. Rory had straightened her blonde hair, knowing Emma would want it that way, and between that and her big blue eyes, she looked just like the storybook character.

They left Emma to watch television for another few minutes while they dressed for dinner. Finn was nothing if not a character, and he'd never shied away from the opportunity to wear a costume. He'd bought along a suit and top hat along with his grandfather's pocket watch. He looked like a steampunk version of the Mad Hatter. Rory, for her part, was wearing a black, white and red dress that was a nod to the Queen of Hearts' dress.

They walked back into the living room and Emma immediately gasped and jumped up to meet them.

"We're all from my favorite movie!" Emma giggled. " _Now_ this _is_ the best day ever, Finny!" Emma said, emphasizing the "now" and "this" as she spoke.

"Well, you haven't seen anything yet, my dear. Shall we?" Finn asked.

He escorted his girls down to the waiting car and they took the short drive to Alice's Tea Cup. They were seated immediately and he watched as Emma's eyes scanned the room, taking in every detail. She pointed out details from the book or movie to Rory and Finn as she was lost in the world of her favorite fictional characters. She was much like her mother in that regard.

"You know, this is pretty great," Rory whispered with a smile as they watched Emma.

"Well, I couldn't bring her to Manhattan and not come here. I knew she would love it," Finn said with a grin.

"She's not the only one who loves it. This place is amazing," Rory said as she looked around.

"Aw, should I have bought you an Alice dress too, Love?" Finn teased.

"Oh, hush you!" Rory admonished him as she laughed.

The waitress came and Finn ordered the Wee Tea with a grilled cheese sandwich for Emma and the Jabberwocky with an assortment of sandwiches for him and Rory. Emma kept going on and on about how much fun her tea party was and Rory and Finn asked their waitress to take pictures of the three of them together in their Alice-inspired outfits.

They gorged themselves on scones, sandwiches, cookies, mocha cake and chocolate mousse until they could eat no more. Finn and Rory's lunch had come with unlimited sandwiches, and Rory had particularly loved the black forest ham and gruyere, while Finn had preferred Alice's BLT.

Rory had even enjoyed the varieties of hot tea, having enjoyed the chocolate chai, Christmas tea, and peach tea the most. Finn made a point to pick up a couple of bags of each of them from the store on the way out so she could drink them at home as well.

Later that day, after a nap at the hotel for Emma, they went to Ellen's Stardust Diner for dinner. It was a diner with singing waiters and waitresses. Emma was dazzled by all of the aspiring actors and actresses who serenaded them with songs while they ate. It was so much fun to watch the world through her eyes.

Next, Finn whisked them off to Madison Square Garden. He'd managed to snag three great seats to see Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which he knew Emma would love. Morgan Holdings held season tickets for Madison Square Garden, and he'd finagled his way into these seats despite the late notice. Emma shared her mother's love for all things Christmas, so she was beside herself at seeing Rudolph. She sat in his lap for much of the show, despite having her own seat, and he couldn't have enjoyed it more. She laughed and sang along to the songs along with the rest of the kids in the audience, and they ended the night at Serendipity 3 for frozen hot chocolates before heading back to their hotel for one last night.

He chuckled to himself as he reflected on how much his life had changed, especially these last few months. Five years ago, his ultimate vacation would have likely involved a beach, a harem of women, and cases of scotch. Now, he was deliriously happy to spend a week in New York City with his girlfriend and her daughter. He wouldn't trade his life now for anything.


	32. Chapter 32

"Merry Christmas!" Emma squealed as she flew into her mom's bedroom on Christmas morning. They'd decided to spend the night at their house and then drive to Stars Hollow to spend time with the Danes side of the family.

"Merry Christmas, Little Love," Finn chuckled as Emma curled up next to him. "Did Santa come visit?"

"He did, Finny! You and Mommy have to get up so we can see what he brought!"

"You go brush your teeth and I'll wake your mom. We'll be in there in a few minutes," Finn said.

Emma kissed him on the cheek and hopped back out of bed. "I love you, Finny!" she called after her as she ran out of the room.

Finn chuckled at the adorable girl. He'd was completely smitten with her and her mother both. He began rubbing Rory's back and kissing her neck - something that he had learned she loved, especially first thing in the morning.

"Mmm...morning, baby," she whispered sleepily.

"Morning, Love. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas. It's our first together," Rory replied softly.

"It is. Em is waiting for us. I'll go start the coffee while you get up," replied Finn.

"No way, mister. Not without a kiss first," she teased.

"Well, far be it from me to neglect my girlfriend," Finn chuckled. He leaned over and kissed her, smiling as he felt her melt in his arms. "Now, my love, it's time for us to get to our girl - she won't be able to contain her excitement much longer." Finn instantly realized what he had said and held his breath as he waited for her reaction, hoping he hadn't upset her. They laid there in silence, and finally he spoke. "I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just that I love her like she's my own," he explained.

"No, don't apologize. You didn't upset me at all - it was just...I didn't expect it, and it's so sweet. We wouldn't be where we are in our relationship if I wasn't happy that you think of her as your own daughter, but to hear you say it...it was just a bit overwhelming," Rory said softly.

"Good overwhelming?"

"Definitely good overwhelming. I think I need another kiss now," she said as she scooted closer to him. She crashed her lips to his, trying desperately to put everything she was feeling into the kiss. They pulled away a few minutes later and Rory laid her head on his chest. "I love you so much, Finn, and Emma - well, she adores you. You're the closest thing to a dad she's ever had," she whispered.

"I'm just so grateful to be able to be part of her life. I never really pictured myself as the man who would be be counting the minutes until he could go home to his girlfriend and her daughter at the end of the day, but I wouldn't change it for the world. You and Emma make my life so full of love and joy, baby. I love our life together."

"You know, I already got you a Christmas gift, and let me tell you, it wasn't easy. What in the world do you get for the man who has everything?" Rory laughed.

"Anything you get me will be perfect because I know you love me," Finn said with a laugh.

"Well, I do think you'll like what I picked out for you, but right now, in this moment, it occurs to me that there's something else I'd really like to give you, too," she whispered. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous. Finn had made it quite clear that he was completely committed to their relationship and wanted forever with her and Emma, but it was still a bit nerve wracking to put herself out there.

"Oh? What's that, Kitten?" he asked with a smile.

"You know how you talked about coming home to Emma and me at the end of the day? Well, what if it was your home, too?" she asked tentatively.

Finn's eyes snapped up and his smile grew. "You want us to live together? Like an actual family?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I really do. We spend almost every evening together anyway, and you're always having to go back and forth to get things. Emma and I love having you here. It would be amazing for us all to live together. We could live here, or Em and I could move in with you, or we could both sell our houses and we could find someplace together," Rory offered.

"And you would be okay with that? With us finding a new place that was ours?"

"Yeah, I would. I actually think it would be nice - a fresh start for all of us, and a place that isn't connected to Logan in any way. Is that a yes?" she asked hopefully.

"Do you think Em would be okay with it? It's a big change for her," Finn asked.

"I know she would be okay with it. She actually asked me right after we came back from New York if you could be her dad," Rory whispered.

"She...wow. That's amazing. I don't even know what to say to that - I'm the one who's overwhelmed now," he said with a small laugh. "What did you tell her?"

"I kind of changed the subject. I know that you and I know where we're headed, but I didn't really know how to explain it to her, and I wanted to talk to you about it before I told her anything."

"What did you want to tell her, Love?" Finn asked.

"That you love her so much, and that you would do anything for her. That you and I love each other very much, and we want to be a family some day down the road."

"What if...what if I wanted to be her dad?" Finn whispered.

"As in, you want to be the male figure in her life, or you want to adopt her?" Rory asked, surprise evident in her eyes.

"Both, really," he answered honestly.

"You...you really want to be her dad? That's huge, Finn," she replied quietly.

"I want to be in both of your lives forever, as her dad, and eventually as your husband."

Tears began running down Rory's cheeks and she smiled. "Finn…" she whispered, trying desperately to put what she was feeling into words. "I never thought I would find that man - the one who makes me feel complete and makes my life better just by being there and who I want to be with forever, even when times get hard. But I did, and it's you. What you just talked about? I want that."

"You want which part of that?" he asked, not wanting to get his hopes up.

"All of it, Finn. I want you to be Emma's dad, and I want…" she hesitated. She made a quick decision and felt peace as she knew what she wanted to do. "Come here," she said, pulling him out of bed. He stood up and she smiled up at him. She kissed him tenderly and then got down on one knee in front of him. "Finn Morgan, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You said you would be ready when I was, and I'm ready now. Will you marry me?" she asked, laughing through her tears. The situation was so completely not what she'd ever imagined, but in that moment, it seemed perfect.

Finn slid down to his knees in front of Rory and laughed with her. "Of course I will, Ror. You know, I had planned on proposing to you and Emma some day, when the time was right. It was going to be this perfect moment, but this..this is perfect," he whispered before kissing her.

"Absolutely perfect," she agreed.


	33. Chapter 33

"Mommy, Finny, come on!" Emma exclaimed as she ran back into Rory's bedroom. She'd been waiting so patiently for them to come to the living room to see what Santa had brought, but she'd run out of patience. She saw her mom and Finn in the floor and noticed that her mom had been crying and she instantly became concerned. "What's wrong, Mommy?"

"Nothing's wrong, Em. Actually, everything is right. These are happy tears," Rory replied.

"Why are you happy?"

"Can I at least have my moment and ask her, Love?" Finn asked with a grin.

"Yeah, go for it," Rory agreed.

Finn turned toward Emm and pulled her into his lap. "Emma, I love you and your mommy so much. You two are so important to me. Your mom and I were just talking about us becoming a family, and there's something I want to ask you, Little Love," Finn said.

"Okay, Finny," Emma answered.

"Emma, if you would let me, I would like to adopt you and become your dad," he said.

Emma threw her arms around Finn and squealed. "We wrote letters to Santa at school, and I told Santa that the thing I wanted most for Christmas was for you and me and Mommy to be a real family!"

Now it was Finn's turn to cry. "You did?" he asked.

"Yes. I just love you so much, Finny. I've never had a daddy, but I know that you love me and would be the best daddy I could ever have. Does this mean I get my Christmas wish?"

"You do, baby girl. Finn and I are going to get married, and he wants to adopt you and be your dad. We also want to find a new house - one that we can all live in together. Would that be okay?" Rory asked.

"That's better than okay! Can I call you Daddy, Finn?" she asked.

He was completely overcome by emotion and nodded his head as he choked back tears. "Of course, Em. There's nothing that would make me happier. I love you, Emma," he finally managed to say through his tears.

"I love you, too...Daddy," Emma whispered as she hugged him tightly.

Finn reached over and pulled Rory to him and Emma, engulfing them both in a huge hug. No words needed to be spoken - this moment was everything he wanted. After several minutes Emma finally wiggled out of their arms and faced them both.

"Can we please see what Santa brought now?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"Of course, sweetheart," Rory said with a laugh.

They all stood up and Emma went running back into the living room.

"I love you, Ror. This is going to be amazing," Finn whispered, pulling her in for one more kiss before the Christmas morning craziness began.

"I love you, too, babe. It's everything I could ever want," she said softly. She took Finn's hand and they walked into the kitchen and started the coffee maker and grabbed some Pop-Tarts for breakfast - they knew Emma wouldn't want to wait for them to cook breakfast.

"Alright, let's see what Santa brought you," Rory said as she and Finn sat down on the couch with their mugs of coffee. She snuggled into his side and turned her attention to Emma.

"Look, Mommy! Santa brought me a Barbie Dream House, and an American Girl Doll that looks just like me! Then there's lots of books and doll clothes!" Emma exclaimed as she sat down and began playing with all of her toys.

"Wow, you must have been a very good little girl," replied Rory.

"I must have been the best, because I got everything I wanted. Finn is my _daddy_ \- that's the bestest ever! Aren't you going to see what Santa brought you?" she asked.

"Of course we will. I don't know what I was thinking," she said with a laugh. She and Finn got up and walked across the room to where their gifts had been laid out.

"Oh wow, this is amazing!" Rory said, looking through her gifts. "Santa brought me a gift card for my favorite coffee house, some new gloves, a beautiful pair of earrings, and some of my favorite ink pens. Ooh, and a gift certificate for my favorite book store. What did you get, babe?" she asked, turning toward Finn.

"It seems that Santa brought me a bottle of my favorite scotch, a new watch to replace mine that just broke, and some new pajama pants," Finn said as he looked through his stocking.

"Do you love your Christmas presents from Santa, Dad?" Emma asked. He didn't think he would ever get over how amazing it felt to hear her call him that.

"I do, but my favorite Christmas gift is you and your mom and me being a family - nothing is better than that," he replied softly.

"That's my favorite present, too," Emma agreed. "Will you help me put together my Barbie house?"

"I sure will, Em. Let's see what we have going on here," Finn said as he moved to the floor next to Emma and opened the box to begin assembling the house. "Holy - that's a lot of pieces," he said as he looked at the directions.

"It seems kind of appropriate that this is your first task as Emma's dad," Rory said with a laugh, snapping pictures of him and Emma sorting out the pieces.

"Laugh it up over there, Love. It's part of being a dad, so I'm more than happy to do it," Finn chuckled, his face beaming.

"We're here!" Rory exclaimed as they pulled up in front of the Crap Shack. Emma immediately unbuckled herself and ran into the house, excited to see her Nana and Papa along with her Uncle Will.

"She's a bit excited," Rory said with a laugh.

"As well she should be - it's been an amazing day already. Speaking of which, I grabbed something from my house when we stopped by to get my gifts for your family. When I went to pick up your Christmas gift, I saw this and I couldn't help myself. I wanted to have it for one day, when you were ready. I just didn't dream that it would be this soon. I believe this belongs to you now, Miss Gilmore," he said as he pulled the ring box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing a beautiful white gold engagement ring. It had a stunning princess cut center stone that was surrounded by smaller diamonds, and the band was also encrusted with small diamonds.

"It's...wow," Rory whispered. "You just gave me a ring last week, babe. You didn't have to do this."

" _That_ wasn't an engagement ring, though. _This_ is an engagement ring," he said. He took the sapphire ring that he'd given her for Christmas off and moved it to her right hand and then slid the new ring onto her ring finger. "Now it's official," he whispered.

"It really is. This is perfect. Thank you, Finn. It has to be the most beautiful piece of jewelry I've ever seen."

"Then it's perfect, because you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Now, let's get in there to our girl before she forgets and spills the beans without us."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

"There you two are! I was starting to wonder if I needed to send out a search party," Lorelai teased as Rory and Finn walked into the house.

"No, we were just...talking about something," Rory replied, smiling broadly.

"Emma mentioned that it had been an exciting morning, but she was sworn to secrecy. Any chance you're planning on telling Mommy what's so exciting?" Lorelai asked, eyeing the happy couple.

"Can I tell her, Mommy? Please?!" Emma begged, bouncing up and down.

Rory and Finn exchanged a quick look and he nodded. "Sure, sweet girl. Tell Nana what's been so exciting this morning," Rory agreed.

"Mommy and Daddy are getting married, and we're going to find a new house where we can all live together!" Emma exclaimed happily.

"Wait, what? Daddy?" Lorelai asked in confusion.

"Finny loves me, and he's going to adopt me and be my daddy, Nana!"

Lorelai's eyes snapped up to Finn and Rory and she squealed as she leapt from her spot on the couch and embraced Rory in a tight hug.

"Is this true?" she whispered.

"Yeah, it is. Finn and I were talking this morning, and I guess one life-altering decision led to another. We started talking about moving in together, and then he was telling me that he wanted to adopt Emma. The next thing I know, I'm down on one knee asking him to marry me," Rory admitted with a laugh.

"I guess the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?" Lorelai chuckled.

"No, apparently not. I hadn't even thought about that," replied Rory.

Lorelai moved over to Finn and smiled warmly. "You are everything I ever could have wanted for my girls," she said as she moved to hug him.

He wrapped his arms around her and smiled. "Your girls are everything to me, Lorelai. I'll spend the rest of my life loving them."

"I don't have any doubt that you will, Finn," Lorelai whispered. "Well, this is a Christmas celebration for the books, huh? It's not every Christmas that we have this kind of news. Luke should be back any minute - he went to pick my mom up from the airport. You know she'll be over-the-moon about this new development."

"Oh, geez. Someone please run interference and keep her from trying to plan our wedding," Rory groaned. "I just want something simple that's all about our family, and as far as I'm concerned, the sooner we can do it the better. Maybe the weekend before spring break, and then we could take our honeymoon while I'm off anyway."

"If that's what you want, we'll make it happen, Love. We'll get to work planning the wedding that we want for our family right away," Finn agreed.

Just then, Luke and Emily walked in the door. "Merry Christmas, everyone!" Emily greeted them all, and they all chorused their Christmas wishes back to her.

"Hi, Gramma!" Emma squealed, running across the room to hug Emily. They had always had a close relationship.

"Hello, my sweet Emma. Have you been a good girl since I last saw you?" Emily asked.

"I have, Gramma!"

"I'm so glad. Did you get everything that you asked Santa for?" continued Emily.

"I did, Gramma! I asked Santa if me and Mommy and Finny could be a real family, and I got my wish!"

"You did?" Emily asked, a smile gracing her face as she turned to look at Rory and Finn.

"She did," Rory confirmed. "Finn and I are getting married, and he's going to adopt Emma. It's been an eventful Christmas so far."

"That's wonderful news!" Emily exclaimed happily.

"And we're going to buy a new house where Mommy and Daddy and I can all live together! It's so exciting!" Emma added.

"Daddy?" Emily asked, looking toward Finn.

"After I told her that I wanted to adopt her, she asked if she could call me Daddy," Finn explained. "Honestly, it's the most amazing thing in the world. Being her Dad - it's everything."

"This is just wonderful!" Emily exclaimed happily. "Tell me - when did this all happen?"

"This morning, actually. It was all quite unexpected and sweet," Rory gushed. "It was just perfect."

"Well, I'm so happy for you all. Of course, I'll be happy to help with wedding planning," Emily said, broaching the subject that everyone knew was coming.

"That's very kind of you, Emily, but Rory and Emma and I would like to plan our wedding as a family. We'll let you know if we need any assistance, though," Finn answered diplomatically.

"You're going to be involved in the wedding planning?" Emily asked in surprise.

"Of course I am. It's a celebration of our new family; I wouldn't dream of not being part of the planning," Finn said, wrapping his arm around Rory's waist and kissing her on the top of the head.

"You are a unique man, but I can't think of anyone more perfect for my granddaughter and great-granddaughter. They're lucky to have you," Emily said approvingly.

"We're all lucky to have each other," Finn insisted. In truth, he felt like he was the lucky one in the relationship. To have a woman like Rory in his life was incredibly fortunate, and Emma was an amazing girl who would soon be his daughter.

"Guys, can we please open presents now?" Emma pleaded, interrupting all the talk about combining families and weddings.

"You have been quite patient today, haven't you?" Rory said with a laugh. "First you waited for Finn and me to finish our conversation this morning, and now you've waited while we shared the good news with everyone else."

"I really have, Mommy! Is it time now?" Emma pressed.

"Yes, let's open presents and get this Christmas celebration underway," Rory agreed.


	35. Chapter 35

"Here, Daddy, open your present from me!" Emma exclaimed as she ran toward Finn. They were back at home after spending most of Christmas with Rory's family, and now they were exchanging the last few remaining gifts. Finn had opted to wait until he could open his gifts from his girls in private.

"Of course, Little :ove," Finn replied with a smile as he took the box from her. He pulled her onto his lap and tore the paper off of the box and opened the lid. "It's perfect, Em! I absolutely love it. Could you do me a favor and bring me my keys?"

Emma nodded and ran across the room to retrieve his keys while Finn looked at his gift and smiled. It was a stainless steel dog tag-style keychain that was engraved with two simple words - "Emma's Finny". He chuckled as he read the words.

"She picked it out herself," Rory said softly.

"Well, she did an excellent job. I'll use my new keychain with pride." Finn took his keys from Emma and switched out his keychains. "What do you think? Does it look good?" he asked, holding his keys up for Emma to see.

"It looks perfect, Daddy! Now open Mommy's gift!" Emma exclaimed.

Rory handed him the gift wrapped box. "It's not anything huge - just something that I thought you would like," she said sheepishly.

"I'm certain I'll love whatever it is, and you already gave me the absolute best gift this morning," Finn said with a smile. He removed the wrapping paper again and opened the box, and he instantly smiled. "It's perfect, Love." He took out the beautiful silver frame and turned it over in his hands. It was engraved with the words " _For Her - For Him - For Us_ " and Rory had put the picture that they'd taken in front of the Christmas tree in New York in the frame. He put the frame down on the table next to him and pulled Rory into his lap, nuzzling her neck.

"It made me think of us," Rory said softly.

"And that's why I love it. Now, I do believe it's time to get our girl into bed, no?"

"You're right," Rory replied. She turned toward Emma. "Em, go get your PJs on and brush your teeth and I'll be right there to read you a story and tuck you in."

"Can Daddy come tuck me in, too?" Emma asked, turning her doe eyes on Finn.

"Of course I will, sweet girl. Go get ready and we'll be right in."

Emma happily skipped off down the hall toward her room and Rory laid her head on Finn's shoulder. "It's been such a great day," she whispered.

"Best Christmas ever, and our first as a family," Finn said proudly. "Em seems really happy."

"We're both very happy," Rory said softly, reaching up to kiss Finn. He returned her kiss and sighed in contentedness.

"You have another week of Christmas break before you go back to school. What would you think about getting our houses on the market and starting the house hunt?" Finn asked Rory.

"Yeah, that would be perfect," Rory agreed.

"Is this house in your name, or does Logan technically own it?"

"It's in my name. He didn't want us to be able to be traced back to him in any way," Rory replied.

"Well, that makes things easier on us; we won't need his signature to sell it. I know that things must have been rough on you, and I can't imagine what it felt like to know that Logan wouldn't do whatever it took to be a part of your lives, but I'm so grateful that I get to be here now. What we have here - it's forever," Finn said softly, and Rory immediately melted further into his arms.

"It was hard, and sometimes I was so angry with him, but I wouldn't change anything because it all brought me right here, and you're our forever," she replied happily.

"I"m so glad, Love. Now, let's go get our girl into bed so we can retire for the night and celebrate our engagement," he said huskily. He stood up from his chair, picking Rory up with him, and walked down the hall toward Emma's room, Rory laughing all the way.

"You know that I can walk for myself," she said with a laugh.

"I'm just practicing for the wedding night," he teased as he sat her down on Emma's bed and joined her. "Now, have you picked out a story?" he asked Emma.

She nodded enthusiastically and handed him her copy of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and he laughed.

"You want me to read this? Christmas is just almost over," he questioned.

"Please, Daddy?" Emma begged.

"You're as dangerous as your mom, child. Alright, get all snuggled in," he relented as he opened the book.

Emma snuggled into the covers with Rory on one side of her and Finn on the other and slowly drifted off to sleep as Finn read the familiar story to her. He finished the book and both he and Rory kissed Emma on the forehead and snuck out of her room quietly. They walked into Rory's bedroom and she shut the door to give them some much-anticipated privacy.

"Well, I'd say that was a successful first day as a dad - and on Christmas day at that!" Rory teased as she wrapped her arms around Finn.

"Well, Emma makes it easy," Finn said with a smile. He leaned down and kissed Rory soundly, enjoying the feeling of her melting into his embrace. "Now, I seem to remember something about celebrating our engagement," he whispered, moving his kisses down her neck. Rory moaned softly - Finn always knew just what to do to make her come undone - and went to work unbuttoning his shirt.

"I've been waiting all day for this," she said softly. She slid his shirt off of his shoulders and then shed her own shirt and bra as well. She wrapped her arms around him more tightly, loving the feeling of his skin against hers. Finn picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her over to the bed. He laid her down gently and made quick work of the rest of their clothes.

"You're so beautiful, Ror," he whispered.

"Make love to me, Finn."


	36. Chapter 36

The morning after Christmas dawned and Finn smiled as he looked over at his beautiful sleeping fiancee. She was curled into his side, and he couldn't have possibly been any happier with his life than he was at that very moment. They'd stayed up late making love to each other and celebrating their newly-minted status as an engaged couple. He couldn't wait to marry Rory and adopt Emma in order to make it all official.

He heard a knock on the bedroom door and was immensely glad that he and Rory had made it a point to put on pajamas before going to sleep. He snuck out of bed quietly and walked over to the door.

"Hey there, Em. How's my girl this morning?" he asked.

"I'm hungry, Dad," she pouted. She had obviously learned much from her mom about getting what she wanted.

"What sounds good for breakfast?"

"Can we go out for pancakes? Mommy said we need to go grocery shopping," Emma replied.

"Sure thing, sweet girl. I'll get your mom up and out of bed and ready to go. Can you get yourself dressed and ready?" he asked.

"Yep, I'll get ready!" she exclaimed as she ran off toward her room.

Finn chuckled at her enthusiasm - she obviously hadn't inherited Rory's disdain for mornings - and turned back toward the bedroom. He knelt by the bed and peppered tiny kisses all over Rory's face. "It's time to wake up, Love. Our girl is hungry and wants to go out for breakfast," he said gently.

She stirred and whined as she opened her eyes. "But...I'm not ready to get up. Someone kept me up way too late," she teased.

"I didn't hear you complaining last night," Finn chuckled.

"Hmm...no, last night was perfect," she agreed. "Alright, I'm getting up."

They all got ready and soon were leaving the house. "Where do my girls want to go?" Finn asked proudly as he put his arms around Rory and Emma.

"Can we go to Effie's?" Emma begged. It was one of her favorite brunch places, but they didn't go there often.

"Let's go," Finn agreed. He helped them into the car and they took the short drive to the restaurant. It appeared that much of Hartford had the same idea that morning; there were families hovering around everywhere as they waited for their table at the popular eatery.

Finn put their name on the list and smiled as he walked back to Rory and Emma - soon they would be the Morgan family and would all three share the same last name.

Emma was getting jostled about by the people milling around, and soon she reached up to Finn. "Will you hold me, Daddy? People keep bumping into me."

"Anything for you, Love," he replied with a smile. He picked Emma up and Rory snuggled into his side and laid her head on his chest. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, but unfortunately that feeling was short-lived. Someone bumped into Finn, causing him to almost lose his balance, and as soon as he righted himself his blood ran cold.

"Excuse me, I didn't mean to - Finn! How are you, man?" Logan asked, patting Finn on the back. Finn and Rory turned to see Logan and Odette standing there, also waiting for a table.

"I'm good, Mate. Just waiting for a table with my girls," Finn answered with a plastered-on smile. He unconsciously tightened his grip on Emma and slipped his free arm around Rory.

"Logan, Odette. It's nice to see you both," Rory greeted them. She hugged Odette and kissed her on the cheek.

"Mommy? Daddy? Who's the man with Odette?" Emma asked curiously.

Logan coughed and his face instantly turned red. "I'm sorry - did she just call you Daddy?" he almost growled.

Emma, ever the chatty little girl, answered proudly. "I did! Finny is going to marry my mommy, and he's going to adopt me and be my Daddy. It's the bestest Christmas present ever!" she exclaimed happily.

Finn could see Logan's anger building, and he desperately wanted to shield Rory and Emma from the coming storm.

"How about you and I step outside and talk privately?" Finn asked, handing Emma off to Rory. "I'll be right back, Love," he promised as he walked away with Logan. As soon as they were outside, Logan spun around and looked at him angrily.

"Would you like to tell me why the hell my daughter is calling you Daddy?" Logan barked angrily.

"According to the legal paperwork, she's not your daughter," Finn reminded him, doing his best to stay calm.

"Don't give me that bullshit answer, man! You and I both know that she's mine."

"That's the thing, Logan - you decided that you didn't want to be part of her life and you closed that door. Rory has finally moved on, and they're both happy now. Emma told Rory that she wanted me to adopt her and asked if she could call me Daddy; that wasn't my doing, but I'm sure as hell thrilled to fill that role in her life," Finn answered passionately.

"You can't adopt her, Finn. The court won't allow that unless you and Rory are married," Logan replied smugly, thinking he'd found a roadblock.

"You heard Emma - Rory and I are getting married. I'll file for adoption as soon as we've wed," Finn informed him.

"You really think she'll say yes if you propose?" Logan asked looking defeated.

"Mate, I really don't want to rub salt in the wound, but I don't have to wonder," Finn answered cryptically.

At just that moment, Rory walked outside and toward Finn. She was holding Emma's hand with her right hand, and she reached her other arm out toward Finn. "Hey, our table's ready," she said with a smile as she reached out for his hand. Logan's eyes instantly zeroed in on the beautiful diamond engagement ring that she was wearing, and he realized that Finn was right - she had moved on. His long-time friend was going to have the life that he'd always wanted.

Finn took her hand and walked into the restaurant with Rory and Emma, quickly trying to put the conversation with Logan behind him so he could be fully present in the moment with his girls. He looked back just long enough to see Logan storming off with Odette trailing behind him, and he silently hoped that maybe Logan would finally get his life together.


	37. Chapter 37

After the engagement, Finn had decided to take off work during the rest of Rory and Emma's winter break. They had decided to put their house on the market and buy a home together. They had a lot of work to do, and he wanted to take advantage of Rory being off work so that they could make progress on their massive to-do list and work together to make plans for the future. They had decided that Finn would move in with Rory and Emma for the time being and they would put his house on the market immediately. They had also already contacted a realtor and would begin looking at homes this week.

They spent the first couple of days packing all of Finn's things that he would move with him - clothes, books, movies, personal items, and things that Rory didn't have. Emma was beside herself with excitement as they moved Finn's things in and he got settled.

Emma had insisted that on his first night living with them, he simply had to be the one to put her to bed. "You really live here now, Daddy," Emma said sweetly after Finn finished reading her a bedtime story that night.

"I really live here now, sweet girl. Is that okay with you?"

Emma launched herself into Finn's arms and hugged him fiercely. "It's better than okay!" she exclaimed happily. "I love that you always get to stay with me and Mommy now."

"I love that, too, Emma. Now, you get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning," he promised. He tucked Emma in and kissed her forehead. Just as he turned out her light, he heard Emma's sweet little voice.

"I love you, Daddy," she whispered sleepily.

Finn turned back to her and smiled. His heart melted every single time she told him that she loved him. "I love you, too, Em," he whispered.

He pulled her door partially closed and walked back to the living room to join Rory. She had opened a bottle of wine and was sipping from her wine glass absentmindedly as she scrolled through an email. He sat down next to Rory on the couch and wrapped his arm around her, loving the way that she curled into him.

"Did everything go okay with bedtime?" she asked, looking up from her computer.

"Yeah, it was great. Sometimes I think I need to pinch myself - it seems pretty unbelievable that I get to be her dad and your fiance," he replied softly.

"I feel the same way about having you in our lives. If I'm honest, I didn't think I would ever get to have this - someone who loves both Em and me, who takes care of us, who is my partner in life. It's pretty amazing," Rory said softly with a smile.

Finn returned her smile and took her glass of wine out of her hand and sat it down on the coffee table. He sat her laptop on the floor and pulled her into his arms and then kissed her tenderly, relishing the feel of her lips against his.

Rory pulled away after a minute and stroked his cheek lovingly. "Have I told you lately just how much I love you?" she whispered.

"Hmm...not in the last few minutes," he replied with a smile.

"Well then, let me tell you that I'm absolutely crazy about you, and I can't wait to become Mrs. Morgan. And don't even get me started on Emma - she's over-the-moon excited for you to adopt her and change her last name."

"I can't wait either, Love," Finn said softly. "Now, what were you so engrossed in when I came into the room?"

Rory picked up her laptop and settled it on her lap and then scrolled to the top of the email she'd been reading. "Katherine sent me the first set of listings to get our feedback and see if we wanted to look at any of the houses she found in her initial search."

Finn scooted the computer so it was partially on his lap as well. "Let's see them, baby."

Rory began scrolling through the houses that Katherine had sent, stopping periodically to look at more pictures or discuss what they liked or didn't like about each one. They chose five houses that looked promising and Rory emailed the realtor back and asked her if they could look at them in the next couple of days.

"Alright, we'll see if perhaps one of them is the house for us," Rory said as she hit the send button on the email. "We're making good progress on our to-do list."

"That we are. My things are moved and we have a starting place for looking at homes. We can call the cleaning service and the staging company tomorrow and my house should be on the market by the end of the week. Hopefully we'll have a contract on a new home by the time my house sells so we can decide what furniture we'd like to keep for our new place and what we'd like to get rid of," Finn offered.

"That sounds perfect," Rory agreed. She closed her laptop once again and sat it down on the coffee table and moved into Finn's lap. She laid her head on his chest and sighed happily. "And then we just need to plan our wedding."

"I want to make certain that our wedding is about all three of us as a family; it's important to me that Emma is included in everything," Finn said softly.

Rory smiled and looked up at him, her love for him written all over her face. "You're so good to us," she whispered.

"Well, that's because I love you both. Now, I think we need to celebrate our first night of officially living under the same roof," he said with a sly grin.

He stood up from his spot on the couch with Rory in his arms and walked to their bedroom. He kicked the door shut behind him and laid Rory on the bed gently. He laid his body over hers and kissed her tenderly at first, but it quickly escalated. He pulled back and smiled as he saw her lying there underneath him, her eyes closed and her chest heaving, her body flushed. He slid his hands under her shirt and pulled it up over her head, taking the time to appreciate every inch of her beautiful body. He kissed his way down to her yoga pants and paused before he slid them off.

"You know, Miss Gilmore, one of these days I'd love to kiss your pregnant belly, knowing that you're growing our baby," he whispered.

"I want that, too, Finn," she said softly before pulling him up and kissing him again.


	38. Chapter 38

"What do you think of this one, Em?" Finn asked as they walked into the third house they'd scheduled to look at that day. The first two had been nice, but they'd all three agreed that they just weren't right for their family. This one, though, had potential. It was a five-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom two-story home with an open concept living area and a huge office with built-in bookcases. It sat on about an acre and had a huge, nicely-landscaped backyard with a cabana and an in-ground pool. It was quite spacious, but it still felt warm and intimate.

"I think this is the bestest bedroom I've ever been in!" Emma squealed as she spun around in circles in the middle of the room that she'd obviously earmarked to be hers. It was a soft pink color and had a castle mural with a princess painted on one wall. It also had a huge window seat under the bay window and more built-in bookcases.

"So you like it?" he asked with a laugh.

"No, I love it!"

"I'm glad, Little Love. You keep looking around and I'm going to go find your mom and see what she thinks," Finn replied. He walked down the hall and found Rory standing in the middle of what had obviously been a nursery when the previous tenants lived here. He walked in and wrapped his arms around her. "What do you think, Love?" he asked softly.

She smiled and leaned into him. "I think I can see our lives here. Bringing our babies home from the hospital, Emma walking down the stairs in her prom dress, family parties in the backyard, meals around the dinner table, homework and after school snacks at the kitchen island," she whispered.

"So can I," Finn replied. "Should we make an offer?"

Rory smiled up at him and kissed him passionately, trying to convey just how excited she was about this house. "Can we please?" she pleaded as she pulled away, turning her Bambi eyes on him.

"Absolutely," Finn chuckled. "Let's go find Katherine and start the paperwork."

He took Rory's hand and led her back downstairs and into the kitchen. "What do you think?" Katherine asked when they walked in.

"It's just what we were hoping to find. We'd like to put in an offer," Finn said with a smile.

"I knew you'd love this one!" Katherine replied as she opened her briefcase and got out the needed papers. She had already prepared a set of papers with their information on it and just needed to fill in the specifics on the property, the price they wanted to offer, and any additional contingencies or stipulations they would like to put in the contract.

"Go ahead and sit down and we'll walk through this all together," Katherine said.

Finn and Rory sat down across from Katherine and began going over the paperwork with her.

"This property hasn't been on the market for long, and I think we need to move quickly. It's priced competitively and I suspect that they'll be getting other offers as well. I would suggest that you come out with a strong offer in hopes of closing the deal quickly," Katherine suggested.

"Let's offer their full asking price, and emphasize the fact that our offer isn't contingent on the sale of our current homes and we'll be paying cash and will be able to close quickly. Of course, we'll want to have inspections done, but we can schedule those for next week," Finn said. Between himself and Rory, they had more than enough money to purchase their new home. She'd never really touched her trust fund and her book had done quite well, having made the New York Times Bestseller List, and his family was quite well off. Frankly, they would never have to worry about money between the two of them.

"I think they'll find that to be a very attractive offer. Are there any other stipulations you'd like to put in the contract?" Katherine asked.

"No, I think that's it," Rory confirmed.

Katherine finished filling in the necessary information and then turned the papers toward Finn and Rory. "Okay, we have your offer listed up here along with the two things we discussed - your offer is not contingent on the sale of your current homes and that it's a cash offer. If they accept your offer and sign the contract, you'll be bound by those terms. Does everything look correct?"

"It does," Finn answered with a nod. He picked up the pen and signed in all of the correct places and then handed it over to Rory for her signature. She signed next to him and smiled.

"Now we wait," she said softly.

"I don't think you'll be waiting too long, honestly. It's a very attractive offer, and I think we'll hear back from them quickly," Katherine reassured them. "I'll get right back to the office and call the listing agent to let her know that I'm sending an offer over."

"We'll look forward to hearing back," Rory replied. She walked back upstairs and laughed as she saw Emma laying in the middle of the same bedroom they'd left her in, chattering away about princesses and castles.

"Are you ready to go, Emma?" Rory asked.

"No, I want to live here, Mommy," Emma pouted.

"So do we, Em, but we can't yet. We made an offer to buy the house, but these things take time," Rory explained.

"But we'll try?" Emma confirmed.

"We'll try," Finn interjected as he walked into the bedroom. He'd heard their conversation from outside the door.

"Thank you, Daddy," Emma squealed as she ran into his arms. He picked her up and kissed her on the forehead.

"Anything for my girls," he chuckled. "Now, how about some ice cream before we go home?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Emma exclaimed.

Finn, Rory and Emma walked back out to his Navigator and made the short drive to their favorite ice cream shop. They got a banana split and a hot fudge sundae to share and grabbed three spoons on their way to a table.

"So, what was your favorite part of the house, Em?" Finn asked as they dug into the sundaes.

"My bedroom! It's perfect for me," Emma said excitedly.

"Your bedroom?" Rory chuckled. "I don't think it's your bedroom yet, Emma."

"But I hope it will be. What was your favorite part, Mommy and Daddy?"

Finn nodded toward Rory, encouraging her to share her thoughts first. "I like the built-in bookcases and the open floor plan and the nice, huge kitchen. Oh, and the pool, too!" Rory added.

"I love the floor plan and the nice, big yard, plus your mom and I would have an office we could use to work from home if we needed to," Finn said.

"That's definitely a big plus," Rory agreed.

"What would we do with all of those bedrooms?" Emma asked. "I only need one, and you and Daddy share one. That leaves three more."

Rory looked toward Finn and he wrapped his arm around her. "Your mom and I would like to give you some little brothers and sisters sometime," he said softly. "What would you think about that?"

"I've always wanted to be a big sister!" she said as she clapped her hands happily. "Can you give me a baby brother or sister now?!"

"No, Little Love," Finn chuckled. "It takes time, but someday," he promised just as his phone rang. He took it out and showed the caller ID to Rory before answering.

"Morgan," he answered as he put the phone up to his ear. He listened to the person on the other line for a minute and smiled broadly. "That's fantastic news! Thank you so much. We'll be in touch tomorrow to set up the inspections." He hung up the phone and turned toward his girls.

"We got the house!" he exclaimed.


	39. Chapter 39

"That's it, Love. We're all unpacked," Finn said proudly as he broke down the last box from their move. They'd closed on the house a week ago and spent countless hours over the last week getting things moved, unpacked, and settled in the new house. His house had sold in record time and they Rory's old house was now under contract as well. They were truly moving toward their new life as a family with nothing holding them back.

The wedding plans had come along quite nicely with everything falling into place easily. Of course, they had more than enough money between the two of them in order to ensure that everything was taken care of. Rory had a nice nest egg between her trust fund and the money from her book, Gilmore Girls, and Finn and his family were wealthy in their own right. It brought him great pride to realize that his family would never have to want for anything. Now they were just about a month away from their wedding, and he couldn't possibly be any happier.

He looked up in time to see Rory looking around the open living and dining area and smiled peacefully. "I can't believe that this is our home," she whispered as she walked into his open arms and cuddled into his side. "It's just all so...real."

Finn chuckled silently. "Is just now feels real, Love?" he teased. "I could have sworn it was pretty damn real from the moment I ran into you at the zoo."

"You know what I mean!" she exclaimed exasperatedly. "It's just so amazing to see our lives coming together so completely. There's no going back to our separate houses or lives. It's all ours now - the house, the cars. And most amazingly, Emma," she added softly. "You're such an amazing father to her."

Finn wrapped his arms around her more tightly and sighed contentedly. "You and Emma are my everything, Rory," he said softly. "I love being a family man; it's everything I could ever want. You, me, Emma…maybe another little one someday soon." He and Rory had decided that they wanted to add to their family soon, especially given that they're both in their thirties now, and she had quit taking the pill when her last pack ran out. They'd been using condoms for the last month in order to ensure that she wasn't pregnant before the wedding.

"You know," Rory began coyly, "even if we got pregnant now, we'd just be finding out when we got married. I certainly wouldn't be showing…" she trailed off.

Finn smiled broadly and turned her toward him so he could look into her beautiful blue eyes. "Love, are you saying that you're certain you're ready?" he asked hopefully. He thought of Emma as his daughter, and biology would never change that, but to think of a little mixture of him and Rory growing inside her...that was just overwhelmingly good.

"I'm absolutely certain, Finn. I know that we want at least one more, and I don't want to wait any longer. I've lived my entire life being afraid of making decisions, making the wrong decisions, but this...this is absolutely right," she finished softly before leaning up on her tiptoes and kissing him softly. "What do you think?" she asked hesitantly.

Finn bent and swept her up in his arms and quickly turned toward their bedroom. "I think it's a very good thing that Emma is spending the night with Colin and Steph, because I'm ready to make a wee little one with my soon-to-be wife," he answered confidently.

"Yeah?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

"Yeah, Love. There's nothing I want more," he assured her as he laid her gently in their bed and began kissing her neck and shoulders. "You're so damn beautiful, baby." He smiled as they took their time undressing each other, relishing the feel of their bare skin touching. "I love you so much, Rory, and I'll spend every day for the rest of my life showing you just how much," he promised as he thrust into her. It felt like coming home every time they were together.

Some time later, they curled up together, not bothering with clothes, and drifted off to sleep. They maintained constantly contact throughout the night, neither one able to stand not being as close as possible, and woke several times throughout the night to make love to each other once again. Something had shifted in their relationship that night. It was as though making the decision to bring another life into the world together had further cemented their relationship and deepened their feelings for one another.

They woke late the next morning, and after making love once again in the shower they drove the short distance to Colin and Steph's to pick Emma up.

"My, my. I expected you two to look more well-rested," Steph teased as she opened the door and saw her two friends looking as though they hadn't slept at all the previous night.

Finn kissed Steph on the cheek and went to join Colin and the kids in the kitchen.

"Did you sleep at all?" Steph asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes! I mean, not much. But we did sleep," Rory insisted as a laugh escaped. She couldn't believe how many times they'd made love in the last twelve hours. "We decided to go ahead and start trying," she whispered to Steph, who had become one of her closest friends over the last six months.

Steph squealed and wrapped her arms around Rory in an enthusiastic hug. "Oh my god, I'm so happy for you!" she said excitedly. "This is going to be amazing!"

"Yeah, it really is," Rory agreed with a huge smile. "I never even knew if I wanted kids before I got pregnant with Emma, and my pregnancy with her was filled with such conflicting emotions because of the situation. Of course, I wouldn't trade her for all the money in the world now. But yeah, intentionally bringing another life into the world with the man I love...it is going to be amazing."


	40. Chapter 40

Rory stirred slowly and looked up at Finn. His eyes were still closed, but she could tell that he was awake. She curled further into him and sighed contentedly.

"Today's the day," he whispered as he ran his hands down her back.

"It is," she sighed softly.

"How are you feeling about everything, Love?"

"I want to fast forward until the moment I walk down the aisle toward you so I can become your wife right now," she confessed.

"Still okay with us seeing each other today?" he inquired. They'd decided that they had no desire to follow the tradition of not seeing each other before the wedding and had instead spent the night together as a family and then celebrated their last night as an engaged couple after they put Emma to bed.

"Absolutely. I want to spend our entire wedding day together."

"Good. Now, if I know our daughter at all, she's just waiting to fly through the door and wake us up. Should we get up now?" he asked.

"Yeah, we need to start getting ready anyway," Rory agreed.

"You take the shower and I'll check on our girl and make breakfast," Finn replied as he got out of bed. They'd opted to spend a quiet morning together as a family before going to the Dragonfly to dress just before the ceremony.

As predicted, Emma was overly-excited when Finn walked into her bedroom. She instantly ran into his arms and began talking his ear off, going on about today being the day they became a "for real" family. He couldn't help but chuckle at her. He loved that little girl more than life itself.

A few hours later, they were all in place in the Dragonfly's garden and the processional began. Rory swallowed hard and choked back her tears, willing herself not to mess up her makeup, as she watched Steph walk down the aisle to meet Finn, Colin, and Will. She bent down and straightened Emma's dress.

"Do you remember what to do?" she asked Em.

"Of course, silly Mommy! I drop the flowers as I walk down the aisle and then I stand next to Aunt Steph," Emma answered with a giggle.

"Alright, you go, baby girl. I'll be there in a minute." Rory watched her baby girl walk down the aisle, toward their new life and the man who loved them both more than anything, and couldn't help but smile. This day was already better than she could have imagined, and there was so much to come.

"Are you ready?" Luke asked quietly, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, I really am," she agreed with a smile. "Let's get me married."

She placed her arm through Luke's and picked up her bouquet just as the music changed, signaling her turn to walk down the aisle.

"You look beautiful, Rory. Thank you for letting me give you away," Luke whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

"I wouldn't want anyone else to give me away, Luke. In every way that counts, you've always been my dad," she said softly.

Luke nodded, unable to speak, and they began their walk down the aisle. The moment she saw Finn there waiting for her at the end of the aisle, she choked back tears. She never thought she would see this day come when Emma was younger - the day that she and Emma would get their happily ever after. Before she knew it, Luke was placing her hand in Finn's and taking his seat next to Lorelai.

"You look...stunning, Love," Finn whispered.

"So do you," she returned with a smile.

The minister welcomed the guests and began the ceremony, and before they knew it the time to exchange vows had come.

"Emma, would you come join your mom and Finn at the altar?" the minister asked.

Emma walked over between Finn and Rory and Finn knelt down in front of her. He reached into his pocket and took out a necklace with Emma's new initials on it. He clasped it around her neck and then took her hands. He cleared his throat, willing the words to come out clearly through his emotions, and spoke from his heart.

"Emma, thank you for sharing Mommy with me, loving me, and allowing me to love you with all my heart. I was not there when you took your first steps, but I promise now that I will love and support you in every step that you take in your life. This necklace is a symbol of our new family. Becoming your daddy is one of the best things that's ever happened to me," he said emotionally, failing to reign in his tears.

"I love you, Emma, and I am devoted to making your life full of happiness and accomplishments, ensuring that you thrive to your fullest potential, and that while you reach for the sky, you remain grounded by the love of our family and our home."

Rory sobbed openly, undone by the emotion of the moment and the promises that Finn was making to Emma, and dabbed at her eyes.

"Finn and Rory, turn toward each other and join hands so that you can look into each other's eyes and see the beauty of what's about to happen," the minister instructed. "Now Emma, please hand this ring to Finn to give to your Mommy."

Emma handed Rory's ring to Finn and watched intently as he slid it onto her finger.

"Rory, I give you my promise to be by your side forevermore. I promise to love, to honor, and to listen to you as you tell me of your thoughts, your hopes, your fears, and your dreams. I promise to love you deeply and truly because it is your heart that moves me, your head that challenges me, your humor that delights me, and your hands that I wish to hold until the end of my days. From this day forward, you are my one and only," he vowed.

"And now Emma, please hand this ring to your Mommy to give Finn."

Emma handed Finn's ring off to Rory and Rory slid it into Finn's finger.

"Finn, I give you my promise to be by your side forevermore. I promise to love, to honor, and to listen to you as you tell me of your thoughts, your hopes, your fears, and your dreams. I promise to love you deeply and truly because it is your heart that moves me, your head that challenges me, your humor that delights me, and your hands that I wish to hold until the end of my days. From this day forward, you are my one and only."

"Finn and Rory, you have made your vows to each other and declared your desire to be united for eternity. And Finn, you have vowed to love and protect Emma as her father. By the power vested in me by the state of Connecticut, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Finn's eyes sparkled as he pulled Rory into his arms and kissed her as passionately as possible given their audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you for the first time, the Morgan family."

Finn and Rory each reached out and took one of Emma's hands and walked back down the aisle together, finally a legal family. Now that they were married, Emma's adoption would be pushed through thanks to the help of Francine Hayden and her dad.

They arrived at the end of the aisle and Finn picked Emma up and kissed her cheek.

"It's official now, Little Love; we're a family," he said proudly.

"Just the three of us?" Emma asked excitedly.

Finn looked toward Rory questioningly. He had insisted that he didn't want to know whether or not she was pregnant until after they were married so that no one could claim he'd only married her because of a pregnancy or that they wed so quickly because of one.

Rory looked Finn in the eyes and smiled broadly as she barely shook her head in the negative. "Not just the three of us. According to the test I took this morning, our family is growing," she whispered close to his ear.

"You're serious?" he beamed.

"I'm serious."

Finn pulled her into his free arm and hugged her tightly, completely overjoyed in the moment.

"It's incredible, Love. Today I married the woman I loved, officially get to adopt the girl who was already my daughter in every other way, and I find out that we're having enough. Thank you," he said softly as he touched his lips to Rory's.


	41. Chapter 41

"I'm going to miss you two so much," Rory whispered as she snuggled further into Finn's arms. They were standing in the Chilton parking lot where Rory's senior newspaper students were all gathered to leave for a week-long trip to Chicago to intern at the Chicago Sun-Times in a groundbreaking new program designed to foster a love of journalism in America's most promising upcoming talent. Rory, Finn, and Emma had just returned from their weeklong family honeymoon at Disney World, and Rory was devastated to be leaving them for a week now. The bright side was that she had an appointment with an OB/GYN for her first ultrasound and prenatal check a few days after she returned from Chicago, and they were all excited to see new little Baby Morgan. Emma's adoption had been pushed through quickly and quietly while they were in Florida, much to their delight, and Rory took great comfort in knowing that she was leaving Emma with her legal father while she was gone. Life really was perfect.

"You'll be home before you know it, Love. Em and I will miss you too, but everything will be fine," Finn reassured her quietly. Rory wasn't generally terribly clingy, but she was having a great deal of anxiety over leaving for a week. Finn had spent a lot of time reassuring her in hopes of easing her concerns.

"Daddy's right, Mommy. We'll miss you, but we'll have fun together while you're gone," Emma piped up sweetly.

Rory chuckled and ruffled Emma's hair. "I know you will, baby girl. Mommy's just going to miss you two. As much as I'd love to stand here with my loves all day, I'd better get everyone gathered up and on and bus."

"You go and get all of your ducks in a row and we'll wait here to say goodbye right before you pull out," Finn encouraged her.

Rory kissed them both and walked over to her students to take roll and give last-minute instructions. After all of the last-minute details had been tended to, her students boarded the bus. She turned toward Finn and Emma one more time, and after an emotional goodbye she joined her students and settled in for the 14-hour drive, which was filled with laughter, jokes, music, and heated debates over current events, politics, and journalism.

Rory was absolutely exhausted when they finally arrived - the first trimester was certainly taking its toll on her - and she sighed in relief when they were finally all checked in and everyone was in their rooms for the night. She locked the door to her hotel room behind her, kicked off her shoes, and picked up her phone to call home. Emma wasn't overly-talkative, which was unusual for her, but Rory chalked it up to being tired from having such a busy last few weeks between the wedding and the honeymoon. Soothed by hearing her husband's voice, she finally rolled over and fell asleep while dreaming of being cuddled up next to Finn.

"Daddy? My head feels funny and I'm really cold," Emma whispered softly to Finn as they watched her favorite movie - Alice in Wonderland - together on the couch.

Finn shifted so that he could see Emma better and immediately noticed that her breathing was labored and she looked exhausted. She'd barely eaten anything all day long, but he'd dismissed it as being normal for her as she would have days when she would eat everything in sight and other days when she barely quit moving long enough to eat. He warmed his hands and placed the back of his hand on her forehead, immediately noticing that she was burning up to the touch and her skin was clammy.

"I'm going to grab the thermometer and I'll be right back, Little Love," Finn reassured her. He walked quickly to the bathroom, his mind swimming with possibilities - none of them good - as he remembered what Rory had told him when he'd first found out about Emma's previous cancer treatments and remission. He returned to the living room and took her temperature quickly, wincing when he saw that it was 104.

"Can you tell me what feels bad, Em?" he asked. Her little eyes were closing and she looked to be struggling.

"It hurts to breathe, and my head feels all fuzzy and like the room is spinning around me. I'm so sleepy, and I don't feel like I can make my body move. I'm scared, Daddy."

Finn swallowed back his panic, slipped his feet into his shoes, and grabbed his wallet, phone and keys. "I think we need to take you to the hospital to get checked out, okay, Em?" he asked as her picked her up and hugged her close to him. He was terrified. He carried her out to his car and buckled her into her car seat before pulling his phone out. He dialed Rory's phone and almost sobbed when he heard her sleepy voice answer. "Love? Something's wrong with Emma. I'm taking her to the hospital."

Finn startled and jumped up as the door to Emma's hospital room opened once again. She'd been admitted immediately due to her history of lymphocytic leukemia. Fortunately, her oncologist had been on shift when they'd arrived and had taken charge at once when she saw them in the ER. It had been a long night of tests - including a painful bone marrow biopsy, questions, exams, and panicked calls between Finn and Rory as he attempted to keep Emma calm. Rory couldn't leave Chicago until someone else got there to be with her students, and it was killing her. They were both an emotional mess. Luke and Lorelai had left after Finn and Rory's wedding and hadn't yet returned so Finn was handling everything on his own. He hadn't even called his family yet, unsure of what to tell them since they didn't have a diagnosis yet and it could just be a virus.

He finally looked up and met the doctor's compassionate eyes as she entered the room. He knew instantly based on her look that it wasn't good news.

"Mr. Morgan, I've gone over all of Emma's test results and have consulted with my colleagues. I'm so sorry to tell you that we're all in agreement in our diagnosis. Her leukemia has recurred, and that's the reason for all of her symptoms. Based on our initial evaluation and the results of the tests we've done tonight, the cancer is advanced enough that we feel like we need to move quickly with treatment. I know that Rory chose to do targeted therapy last time, but we don't believe that to be a good choice with this recurrence. We think the best course of action is a stem cell transplant through a donor's bone marrow. Unfortunately, we don't have a good match for her at the moment. I know that Rory wasn't a complete match, but she may be the best that we have right now," Dr. Emerson explained.

"Rory's about six weeks pregnant," Finn whispered, heartbroken for his daughter's diagnosis and all she would have to endure in the coming weeks and months.

"That certainly complicates things," the doctor replied. "We will continue to look for a complete match in hopes that we don't need to consider Rory as an option due to the risk to your unborn child during the procedure to harvest the stem cells. For now, we're going to begin an aggressive round of chemotherapy in hopes of slowing or stopping the progression of the cancer while we attempt to find a suitable donor. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Can I be tested?" Finn asked.

"Of course, Mr. Morgan. I'll send someone in to draw blood as soon as we're finished here. Do you have someone close who can be here to support you and be of assistance until Rory returns from Chicago? Emma's treatment is going to be a grueling process, and if you are a match you'll undergo a procedure that will take a few hours in order to donate."

"I'll call my parents, and we also have friends in the area," Finn said softly, still trying to wrap his head around everything that was going on.

"You make those phone calls and I'll put a rush on your bloodwork," she reassured Finn before leaving.

Finn stared numbly at his phone before picking it up and calling his parents. He could barely choke out the words to tell them what had happened, and he was relieved when they dropped everything to come to the hospital. He then shot off a quick text to Colin asking him to go by the house and pack a bag for both himself and Emma before pulling up his recent calls and tapping on Rory's name.

"She can't do it," Finn sobbed. "I just...I can't. How are we supposed to choose between Rory being Emma's donor, knowing that there's a high risk to the baby, or waiting it out to see if we can find another donor, knowing that every day we wait means less of a chance of remission for Emma?" He had stepped outside with his dad, in desperate need of a safe place to fall apart after learning that he wasn't a match, while his mom sat with a sleeping Emma.

"Does Rory have contact information for her biological father?" Finnegan asked. "Perhaps he would be a good match."

Finn's eyes snapped up to meet his dad's and he palmed his phone in the pocket of his pants. He and Logan still weren't on great terms, but surely the seriousness of this situation eclipsed their personal issues. He knew that Rory would be furious with him for involving Logan, but the thought of the risks of Rory donating bone marrow or of them waiting was worth her wrath.

"I have it…" Finn whispered as he took his phone out of his pocket. He unlocked it and placed the call. It rang twice and then he heard the voice of his life-long friend on the line.

"Logan? I need your help," Finn sobbed.

A/N: I am not a medical professional, so please be kind. I've researched and have done my best. If I've missed the park, please pardon the failing on my part.


	42. Chapter 42

Finn paced the halls of the hospital nervously as he waited for Rory to arrive. He'd sent his mum in a car to pick her up at the airport and she should be walking in the door any minute now. His parents had been his rock for the last twelve hours since Emma's diagnosis. They'd made sure he ate, loved and comforted Emma, and given Finn frequent breaks as he needed them. His mum had insisted on going to the airport to pick Rory up, knowing full well that her new daughter-in-law would be emotional and need a comforting presence beside her.

"She's going to be okay, man. She has to be," Logan reassured Finn. He had come the moment Finn had called him.

"I hope you're right, mate," Finn whispered. "Rory should be here - "

"I'm here," Rory interrupted him. She ran into Finn's arms, his mother trailing behind her, and stilled when she noticed Logan.

Finn immediately jumped in to mitigate the oncoming disaster. "I called him, Love. Let's go sit down in the family room and talk," he said calmly, hoping to soothe his wife.

His mum nodded and walked away as Finn, Logan, and Rory turned and walked toward the room to have a private conversation. As soon as they walked into the room Finn sat down and pulled Rory into his lap. Logan sat down across from them. He took a deep breath and exchanged a look with Finn.

"Rory, my dad asked if you had contact information for Emma's dad, and when he said that and I realized that there might be another option I had to call him. We had to know," Finn choked out. He nodded to Logan and Logan picked up the conversation.

"I know that I haven't done right by you or by Emma, but this...this is so much bigger than that, Rory," Logan pleaded. "I know I don't have any right to ask this, but please...let me be her donor. They already tested me and show that I would be a good match - better than you, actually. They said that I'm very well-suited to provide the bone marrow, and I'm asking you to let me do it. Please, don't even think about risking the life of your unborn child by donating, or risking Emma's life by giving her a partial match. I need to do this, Rory."

"Why?" she whispered.

"Why? Because despite the fact that Finn is her dad, she's part of me. I can't...I can't let any of you go through the trauma of any of the other options. I need to give her - to give you guys - the best chance of beating this," Logan argued.

"What about Odette? Is she okay with this?" Rory asked.

Logan sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Odette and I are currently separated, and she's filing for divorce. I screwed it up, and it's all on me. I will talk to her first, as a courtesy, but I'm certain she would want me to do this. She loves you and Emma."

"What happens after, Logan? You just disappear again?" Rory asked.

"I hope that you'll both let me get to know Emma afer - as her Uncle Logan. I'll never say a word about being her biological father. Finn is her dad in every way that counts. I owe you a huge apology, Rory. I never should have shoved you two aside. I shouldn't have been more concerned about what society would think than I was about the woman I'd loved since college and our daughter. I've turned into my father, and I'm not proud of it, Rory. Odette leaving me was a huge wake up call, and I know that I need to make changes in my life now if I want to have any hope at all."

Rory looked up at Logan, searching his eyes for any hint of deceit, but she found none. "I need you to understand that what you and I had is in the past, Logan. Don't think that you can come back into our lives and somehow you and I will end up back together. I love my husband more than I can put into words, and nothing will ever change that. You'll be just what you said - Uncle Logan to Emma and a friend to Finn and me," she insisted.

"I know, and that's all I want, I promise you," Logan reassured her.

"Does this mean you'll let him be Emma's donor, Love?" Finn asked hopefully.

Rory thought for a moment and nodded. It really was the best option. "Yes, I'll let him," she agreed. "I know that you only had our best interests in mind."

Finn broke down and sobbed again. "I do have all of our family's best interests in mind, Kitten. I can't stand the thought of losing any of you. I need you, Emma, and Little Morgan all healthy and happy when all of this is over," he whispered as he rubbed her still-flat belly.

"Congratulations on your marriage, and on your new little one, by the way," Logan said wistfully. "Looks like I'll be around for this one," he finished with a smile. "Thank you again for letting me do this. Can we all meet with her medical team together so that we can get started as quickly as possible?"

"Of course," Rory agreed. She stood up from Finn's lap and opened her arms to Logan. He stood and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Thank you," she whispered as she cried. Logan kissed the top of her head and then passed her over to Finn. She immediately burrowed into Finn's chest and he held her closely.

"We're both here, Love. You're not doing this alone this time. You have the support of me and my side of the family, and you also have Logan's friendship. Let us help you, please. I've already spoken to my dad, and I won't be returning to the office until Emma has been discharged and can return to a somewhat normal life," Finn explained.

"Are you sure? You have so much responsibility at work," Rory protested weakly.

"My first responsibility is my family," Finn reassured her. "Dad agrees with me - I need to be with my girls. I would be worthless to him at the office, because my heart and mind would be right here with my girls."

"Alright, let's go find Dr. Emerson to see what the next steps and the time frame are," Rory agreed.


	43. Chapter 43

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Rory whispered to Logan. She and Finn were standing outside the door to Emma's hospital room, about to go in so that Logan could meet Emma. He looked like he was hanging onto his emotions by a thread.

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's just been a really emotional day. Let's get in there so I can meet Emma and then they can start prepping me for the procedure," he assured her.

Rory looked at him for a long minute and then took a step back. "I just need to use the restroom really quickly and then I'll be ready," she assured him. She walked quickly into the nearest ladies' room and took her phone out, sending a detailed text about the situation. Her gut was telling her that she needed to reach out to a friend; she just hoped she didn't regret it. She quickly put her phone back in her pocket and walked back out into the hall, joining Logan and Finn at the door to Emma's room once again. She slid her hand into Finn's and smiled up at her husband. "I'm ready now," she assured them both.

She reached out and opened the door to Emma's room, smiling as she saw Finn's mom reading a book to Emma. Amelia stood and kissed Emma on the forehead and then left the room quietly in order to give them privacy. Finn and Rory had told them briefly of the situation with Logan being Emma's biological father, and she was happy to see Logan stepping up and doing the right thing. Some might be concerned that having Logan around Rory and Emma would cause problems with Finn and Rory's new marriage, but Amelia felt confident in her son and daughter-in-law's relationship and their commitment to each other.

Rory walked over to Emma's bed and pulled her into her lap, relishing having her baby girl in her arms.

"Hey, Em?" Rory asked her sleepy little girl.

"Hmm?"

"Your daddy and I have someone that we would like for you to meet," she began nervously. She watched Logan's face carefully for any sign of animosity or hurt over hearing Finn being referred to as Emma's daddy, but she saw none.

"Can Daddy hold me, too?" Emma asked quietly. "It always makes me feel more brave."

Finn's heart melted and he sat down next to Rory on the bed, wrapping his arms around both of his girls.

"Em?" Finn picked up. "This is a friend of mine and your mum's; his name is Logan. He came to talk to your mum and me today. Do you remember how the doctor said that you need someone to give you bone marrow in order to make you better?" Emma nodded her head and he continued. "Logan got tested and he happens to be a perfect match for you, so he's going to be your donor. We wanted you two to meet first."

Emma's eyes snapped up at the announcement that this man, a stranger to her, was going to be her donor. "Why would you do that for me if you've never met me?" she asked Logan inquisitively.

Logan swallowed hard, surprised by the young girl's candor, and spoke from his heart. "Your dad and I have been friends for as long as I can remember, and your mom and I were very close in college. We all may have lost touch recently," he continued, thinking of his and Rory's goodbye in New Hampshire and his strained relationship with Finn because of how poorly he'd handled Rory's pregnancy, "but there's nothing I wouldn't do for your parents. I care about them both, and this is such a tiny thing for me to do in order to help you get better. It would be really selfish of me not to help."

Emma looked at him assessingly for a long minute and then smiled at him. "Thank you for helping me, Mr. Logan," she said brightly.

Rory smiled and ran her fingers through Emma's hair. "You know how you have Uncle Colin and Aunt Steph? How about you just call Logan Uncle Logan?" she asked as she caught Logan's eyes. She couldn't help but notice how watery they were.

"Is that okay with you, Mr. Logan?" she asked.

He smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I'd like that very much," he admitted.

"Do you like _Where the Wild Things Are_ , Uncle Logan?" she asked, looking toward her favorite book sitting in the chair next to the bed.

"Well, of course I do," he chuckled.

"I think I'd like to sit in your lap while you read it to me," Emma blurted out, and Rory smiled broadly. Her daughter had a way of accepting and loving everyone around her.

Logan looked to Rory and she nodded slightly, giving him the go ahead to do as Emma asked. He walked over to the chair and picked up the book before situating himself in the chair. Rory stood up with Emma in her arms and took the few steps toward Logan before placing her gently in his lap. He opened the book as Emma laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arm around his neck. He began reading about Max and Claire, and Finn and Rory retreated across the room to the entryway. She took her phone out and snapped a picture, sending it off to the friend she'd been texting earlier, and then curled into Finn's arms and laid her head on his chest.

"I can't believe that he's doing this for her...it just seems surreal," Rory whispered. "Are you sure you're okay with him getting to know her?"

"I'm positive, Love. I will always be her daddy, but there's more than enough room for an Uncle Logan in her life - especially given what he's doing for our family," he reassured her quietly. "This is going to help her beat the leukemia - I just know it."

"I hope you're right," she agreed.

"I am. Now, who have you been texting, Love? I know you didn't really need to go to the bathroom," he teased.

Rory laughed softly and took her phone out of her pocket, unlocking it and handing it to Finn to read her texts. He smiled warmly at his wife; she had such a big heart. Her phone alerted her to another incoming text and she typed out a quick reply and turned back to Logan and Emma. She had already fallen asleep and Logan was rocking her quietly, the book now closed next to him.

She walked across the room and looked down at them. "You ready to put her back in her bed?" she asked.

He nodded and stood with Emma in his arms. He laid her back in her bed and covered her up, taking a moment to stroke her forehead softly. "She's beautiful, Rory. You did good," he whispered.

"Thanks, Logan. There's just one more thing we need to take care of before your procedure."

He looked at her quizzically, but followed her to the room of the door without asking any questions. Rory stopped and kissed Finn and he smiled down at his wife warmly. "I'll stay here with Little Love," he reassured her.

"Thanks, baby," she replied. She opened the door and walked down the hall with Logan next to her. They walked back to the private room the three of them had spoken in not long ago, and she opened the door. "After you," she insisted. He walked into the room and stopped in his tracks, shocked by the person standing in front of him. She quietly closed the door behind him and turned around to walk back to her husband and daughter.

Logan took a deep breath and finally spoke. "You're here," he whispered, not believing his eyes.

"You really are changing, aren't you?" Odette asked.

"I am, for me. I have to do it for myself. I know it's too late to save our marriage, and I'm so sorry for what I did to you, Odette. I can't fix what I did to us - to you - but I can change my future. I don't want to wake up in ten years and realize that I'm Mitchum. God, O, I can't apologize enough for everything. I hope that someday you can find it within yourself to forgive me, and as hard as it is right now, I hope that you'll be happy. I didn't realize how much I'd come to care for you until you were gone. I never deserved you; you deserve someone who will love you and put you first in everything," he spoke emotionally, pouring his heart out to his soon-to-be ex-wife. He'd taken her for granted and resented what she represented for years, not realizing what an amazing woman she was.

Odette wiped a tear from her eyes and quickly crossed the space between them, throwing herself into Logan's arms. "There was nothing you could have done to convince me that you'd changed - that things wouldn't go back to the way they were with you cheating and ignoring me. But in doing this for Emma, and for Rory and Finn, you've shown me that you really are working on changing."

Logan inhaled her scent as he held her in his arms and exhaled deeply, feeling relaxed from her presence.

"Why did you come?" he whispered. "I mean, I know I asked you if you were okay with it, but I didn't dream you'd show up here."

"Rory snuck away to fill me in on everything, and I just had to," she said softly. "Logan, I've missed you. Let me come home to you?"

He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "I didn't do this to get you back."

"I know, and that's why I'm here," she said with a small smile. "What do you say?"

Logan smiled down at his wife - yes, she was still his wife, as the divorce hadn't been granted yet - and then leaned down and kissed her in answer. They pulled apart a minute later and he hugged her tightly again. "Stay with me until they take me back?"

"And I'll be waiting for you when you come into the recovery room," she assured him.


	44. Chapter 44

"Here, you take her," Rory encouraged as she put Emma's hand into Logan's.

"Are you sure?" he asked in shock.

"Yeah, we're sure," she reassured him.

Logan looked down to Emma and smiled. "Let's all take her," he insisted as he reached over to take Odette's hand in his free hand.

Rory smiled and took Emma's other hand, holding Finn's tightly in her other. They all five walked to the bell and Logan picked Emma up so that she could reach.

"We beat leukemia!" she exclaimed, reaching up to ring the bell excitedly. Her family all cheered around her - Emily, Luke and Lorelai, Finnigan and Amelia, Colin and Steph - they'd all come to celebrate with the Morgan family.

"Thank you all for being here for us over these last several months. They've been trying, between Emma's leukemia and Rory's pregnancy, and we're grateful for the support you all have given us," Finn said emotionally. "We love you all."

They were all flooded with hugs and congratulations from their friends and family, and soon the group broke up to move the party to Finn and Rory's home. They had planned a backyard barbecue to celebrate together. He looked around the yard, filled with kids playing and laughing, and smiled as he wrapped his arms around his wife. He rubbed her belly lovingly, anxious to meet their son. Rory was nearing the end of her pregnancy, and he'd never thought she looked more beautiful than she did now.

They all gathered around the patio when dinner was ready and Finn held his glass up, silencing everyone around him. "To friends, to family, to realizing what's important, to love, and to a lifelong friend who stepped in to give my sweet Em the best possible chance of beating cancer" he offered. Everyone started tip tip their glasses up and Logan cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"If I may add, I'd also like to toast to my beautiful wife - this whole experience brought us back together. Odette, I love you," he admitted, the first time that he'd said he loved her publicly, "and I can't wait to welcome the next generation of Huntzbergers with you." Logan smiled and wrapped his arm around his wife, kissing her on the temple as he looked at the stunned faces around him.

"You mean you're..." Finn trailed off.

"We're pregnant!" Odette yelled. Rory immediately set her glass down and ran over to hug her friend. She'd had a front row seat to watching Odette and Logan reconcile, work through their issues, and fall in love, and she couldn't be happier for them.

* * *

"He's beautiful," Finn whispered, sobbing openly as he watched Rory hold their newborn son on her chest. He was in awe of his amazing wife and their new little one. "I can't believe we made him."

"We did," Rory said with a smile, stroking the baby's cheek. "How do you feel, Daddy?"

"I feel like I've been a daddy since the minute I met our precious daughter, but I'm so grateful to be here from the first moment for our son. Are you ready for me to bring Em in?"

They'd given birth at a family birthing center, wanting this momentous event to center around their family and for Emma to feel as included as possible. Finn and Rory had worked hard to assure her all throughout the pregnancy that they had enough love for her and another baby as well.

"Yeah, I want our family together," she insisted.

Finn left and returned a minute later with Emma. She was fascinated by her little brother and fell in love with him instantly. After some time for the family to bond, they invited their friends and family in for a moment to meet the newest little Morgan. They all gathered around the room and looked on at the happy family of four.

Finn took the baby from Rory's arms and walked closer. "Everyone, we'd like to introduce you to the newest member of the Mogan family - Eli Lucas, after two of the most important men in our lives."

He looked to Logan and Luke and smiled as he saw their teary eyes. He walked over and handed their namesake off to their waiting arms, snapping a picture of the two watery-eyed men cooing at his son.

* * *

Finn heard the familiar strains of his and Emma's song fill the air and walked toward her.

"May I have this dance, Em?" Finn asked with a smile at his daughter. It seemed like only yesterday that they'd danced together at that first father-daughter dance, her standing on his feet or in his arms.

"Of course, Daddy," she laughed. She walked into his arms and smiled up at him as Bruce Springsteen sang When You Need Me.

"You know, you're a lot better dancer than the first time we danced to this," he teased her.

"Yeah well, it's been a few years," she joked.

"I'm really proud of you, Little Love. You've accomplished so much - medical school, residency, now you're a doctor. And through it all, you and Nathan have stayed committed to each other. I never thought I'd give my daughter away to my godson," he said with a laugh.

"I love him, Daddy."

"I know you do or I wouldn't have walked you down the aisle or be enjoying the traditional father-daughter dance now," he chuckled. "About that thing we discussed..." he said, looking at her questioningly.

She nodded her head at him and he smiled brightly. He danced her around the floor until they came to a stop in front of Logan and Odette.

"Em and I talked about it, and we would both be honored if you would finish the second half of the father-daughter dance with her," Finn said.

Logan choked back tears and smiled. "Thank you," he whispered. He took Emma in his arms and danced with her. They'd told her when she was old enough to understand that Logan was her biological father, but that Finn would always be her dad. She'd accepted it well after a few days to really wrap her head around this stunning truth, and Logan had continued to be a constant in her life. The Morgans, McRaes, and Huntzbergers had all remained very close, going on frequent family vacations together and raising their kids as the best of friends. Still, they had all been surprised when Emma and Nathan McRae had begun dating in college.

Logan brought himself out of his thoughts, looking down at the beautiful woman in his arms. "Thank you for letting me have this. I really didn't expect it," he said softly.

"Of course. Thank you for everything you've been for me. Some would think it's weird, having their biological father and their adoptive father both in their lives, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm just grateful that you and Mom and Dad were able to work things out and that I've gotten to know your family as well."

"I'm proud of you, Em. Your Aunt Odette and I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad."

That broke the dam and Logan cried as he danced with his first daughter. "You've never called me that," he whispered.

"No, and Finn will always be my daddy, but you're important to me, too."

"I'm so glad, kid."

That's it - that's all she wrote. I hope you enjoyed this journey. Now I'll focus on finishing Match Made in a Boardroom and then who knows where my writing will take me. Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, and commenting!


End file.
